Mamady Doumbouya, 41, the head of Guinea's junta, has been elected president after securing a landslide victory in the country's first presidential election in four years. The General's decision to run for office came as a surprise, given his previous vow not to seek power and to hand over the country to civilian rule by the end of 2024.
Doumbouya ran unopposed, with eight rivals facing off against him after the main opposition leaders were barred from running due to their exile status. The opposition's boycott was widely seen as a response to the junta's crackdown on civil liberties and the arrest of opponents.
The election saw a high turnout of 80.95%, according to Djenabou Touré, the head of the general directorate of elections. Doumbouya secured an overwhelming 86.72% of the vote, far exceeding the threshold that would have triggered a runoff election.
The election was seen as a significant test of democracy in Guinea, which has been ruled by the junta since a coup led by Doumbouya in September 2021. The new constitution, approved in a referendum last year, allowed junta members to run for office and lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years.
Despite Doumbouya's victory, concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of the election. A citizens' movement accused the government of "electoral banditry" and "serious irregularities", while another candidate complained of influence exerted on voters. The opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, who was barred from running due to his exile status, denounced the results as "an electoral charade".
Doumbouya ran unopposed, with eight rivals facing off against him after the main opposition leaders were barred from running due to their exile status. The opposition's boycott was widely seen as a response to the junta's crackdown on civil liberties and the arrest of opponents.
The election saw a high turnout of 80.95%, according to Djenabou Touré, the head of the general directorate of elections. Doumbouya secured an overwhelming 86.72% of the vote, far exceeding the threshold that would have triggered a runoff election.
The election was seen as a significant test of democracy in Guinea, which has been ruled by the junta since a coup led by Doumbouya in September 2021. The new constitution, approved in a referendum last year, allowed junta members to run for office and lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years.
Despite Doumbouya's victory, concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of the election. A citizens' movement accused the government of "electoral banditry" and "serious irregularities", while another candidate complained of influence exerted on voters. The opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, who was barred from running due to his exile status, denounced the results as "an electoral charade".
so this is what we got... a junta head becomes president in a country that's supposed to be getting back on its feet after years of turmoil? it's like, one step forward and two steps back, you know? 
Doumbouya's win might be a major test for democracy in Guinea, but at the same time, I'm not buying all this talk about "electoral banditry" and whatnot. seems like a bunch of opposition leaders are using that as an excuse to keep themselves out of power. 
still, it's a bit concerning that eight other people couldn't even get their names on the ballot. wonder if they were just too scared or something? 
he ran unopposed and got like 86.72% of the vote? that's crazy 
I mean, i get it, opposition leaders were barred from running but still, 80.95% turnout is pretty high? might be a sign of people being like "screw it, let's just go with whoever is in charge already" 
anyway, concerns about legitimacy are valid 
Cellou Dalein Diallo's rant tho... "electoral charade"? that's a pretty strong word 
hope the citizens' movement gets to investigate further 
. A landslide win doesn't necessarily mean it's a free and fair election. I've seen how quickly situations can spiral out of control when there's too much power concentrated in one person or group. The opposition's boycott seems like a desperate attempt to fight back against the junta's crackdown on civil liberties, but it also means they're not getting their voices heard in this process.
, but we need to keep an eye on things. It's not just about Doumbouya becoming president; it's about what kind of leader he'll be and whether he'll work to bring stability and democracy back to the country. We should all be keeping a close eye on how this situation unfolds 
.
But can we really trust an election where 80% of voters showed up? That's a pretty high turnout... but is it all just a show, you know? 
I'm no expert, but maybe we should be keeping an eye on things and making sure that the government doesn't try to pull any funny business. 
Mamady Doumbouya is literally taking over guinea like he's been planning it all along lol. i mean 86.72% of the vote is insane who even gets that kind of support? 
However, the legitimacy of his victory is indeed a concern. With only eight rivals running against him after several main opposition leaders were barred from participating due to their exile status, it's hard not to question the fairness of the process. 
80.95% turnout is crazy though, guinea ppl are passionate about their politics. i'm still trying to understand how all this works with the new constitution and whatnot... guess we'll just have to wait and see how doumbouya governs