Voters in Guinea have overwhelmingly backed a new constitution that could allow coup leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for president, according to partial results released late on Monday.
The draft charter looked set to pass with 90.6% of votes in favour and 9.4% against, said Djenabou Toure, head of Guinea’s General Directorate of Elections. The figures were based on roughly 91% of ballots counted.
An overall turnout figure was not available, but officials said more than 4.8 million votes had been counted from over 6.6 million registered voters, putting participation above 70%.
Doumbouya seized power in the West African state, the world’s top bauxite producer, in 2021 during a wave of eight coups that struck the region between 2020 and 2023. A post-coup charter barred transitional authorities from seeking office, but that restriction was absent from the draft put to voters on Sunday.
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The referendum has been billed as a step toward elections and civilian rule, but opponents call it a power grab. Doumbouya’s government missed its own December 2024 deadline for restoring civilian leadership, and a presidential vote is now expected in December.
Doumbouya, 40, a former French Foreign Legionnaire, cast his ballot with his wife at a health centre in Conakry on Sunday. He has not said whether he will run.
Guinea’s two main opposition leaders, Cellou Dalein Diallo and ousted former president Alpha Conde, had urged a boycott. Both of their parties are suspended. Human Rights Watch has accused the government of disappearing opponents and shutting media outlets, allegations the authorities deny but say they are investigating.
