Guinea coup leader given green light to run in presidential elections
General Doumbouya who is cleared to stand for elections as a presidential candidate
According to a list released by the Guinean Supreme Court, coup leader General Mamady Doumbouya, among eight others, was given the green light to stand as a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections, reported Reuters on November 10th.
Doumbouya, who had previously promised to hand over power to a civilian government, broke his promise by submitting his candidacy to the Supreme Court on November 3rd.
This move would keep Doumbouya in power for the next five years, as he is running for the election as an independent candidate.
As per the new constitution, potential rivals, former President Alpha Conde and former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, cannot contest in the elections due to age and residency restrictions. Additionally, former Prime Minister, Lansana Kouyate, whose candidacy was also rejected, is seeking to appeal his case and run in the elections.
Due to this, Doumbouya is set to face lesser-known contenders for the election, which include the former Minister of Higher Education, Abdoulaye Yero Balde, and the deputy governor of the Central Bank, Faya Millimono, a figure who has been outspoken about the military junta.
In 2022, Doumbouya’s military government agreed with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) — a group of West African countries that pushes for democracy and stability — to hold elections within two years and return the country to civilian rule. However, the junta failed to meet that two-year deadline, and the promised transition has been delayed.
The election has been scheduled on December 28th, and is meant to be a formal transition to civilian rule.
In neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso, however, transitions have been repeatedly delayed, allowing military rule to persist. Both states have also withdrawn from ECOWAS and formed their own alliance, Alliance of Sahel (AES).
Critics fear a similar outcome in Guinea, warning that Doumbouya’s candidacy could entrench military rule as the new normal.
Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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