Guinea’s Supreme Court has officially approved the presidential candidacy of junta leader Mamady Doumbouya, paving the way for him to contest next month’s election, a vote initially intended to restore civilian rule after his 2021 coup.
The court announced late Wednesday that Doumbouya’s name appeared among nine approved candidates from a total of 51 hopefuls who sought to participate in the December 28 presidential poll.
Doumbouya, who has ruled the West African nation since overthrowing former President Alpha Condé, had promised to hand power back to civilians but later reversed course. His decision to run has drawn criticism from opposition figures and rights groups, who accuse him of tightening his grip on power.
Among those cleared to contest are several little-known candidates, including Faya Lansana Milimono, a vocal critic of the junta and one of the few opposition figures still active within Guinea.
However, exiled opposition leader and former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo — widely regarded as Doumbouya’s strongest rival — was barred from the race, further fueling concerns about the fairness of the upcoming election.
Guinea, a former French colony and the second sub-Saharan African country to gain independence after Ghana in 1958, has endured decades of authoritarian rule and multiple coups. Doumbouya’s military takeover in 2021 was the latest in a long pattern of political instability that has plagued the mineral-rich nation.
The December election is expected to be a key test of whether Guinea can transition back to democratic governance — or cement yet another era of military dominance
