Guinea Court Clears Junta Leader Doumbouya For December Election

Guinea’s Supreme Court has released a provisional list of nine candidates for next month’s presidential election, with junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya among those cleared to run.

Doumbouya, who seized power in 2021 after toppling former President Alpha Condé, is seeking to legitimise his rule through the ballot box.

Former Prime Minister Lansana Kouyaté and ex-minister Ousmane Kaba were barred on technical grounds, though Kouyaté has vowed to appeal. Opposition figures Faya Millimono and Aboulaye Yero Baldé made the list.

The election’s credibility has been questioned following the ban on major opposition parties and last year’s political dissolutions.

The vote, delayed a year beyond the ECOWAS-agreed timeline, marks Guinea’s return to civilian governance, at least on paper.