General Mamady Doumbouya, the junta leader who seized power in a 2021 coup, was sworn in on Saturday as Guinea’s elected president, completing the country’s transition from military rule to civilian governance four years after toppling former leader Alpha Conde.
The ceremony took place at the newly built General Lansana Conte Stadium on the outskirts of Conakry, drawing tens of thousands of supporters. Dressed in a traditional gown, Doumbouya took the oath under the revamped constitution, pledging: “I swear before God and before the people of Guinea, on my honour, to respect and faithfully enforce the Constitution, the laws, regulations and judicial decisions.”
He begins a seven-year term following his landslide victory in the 28 December presidential election, where official results, validated by the Supreme Court, gave him 86.72 percent of the vote against eight challengers. Turnout surpassed 80 percent per electoral authorities, though opposition groups branded the poll a “charade” and called for a boycott.
Path from coup to election
Doumbouya, a former special forces commander and French Foreign Legionnaire, initially promised not to run for office after ousting Conde in September 2021 over claims of corruption and economic mismanagement. Conde had been Guinea’s first freely elected president since independence from France in 1958.
A September referendum approved a new constitution with overwhelming support, lifting the ban on junta members seeking office, extending presidential terms from five to seven years and introducing a two-term limit. The charter paved the way for the December vote, the first since the coup.
During junta rule, authorities dissolved institutions, suspended the old constitution and engaged with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to orchestrate a return to civilian rule.
International presence and domestic challenges
The inauguration attracted high-level guests, reflecting regional and global stakes in Guinea’s stability. Heads of state from Rwanda, Senegal, The Gambia and other African nations attended, joined by vice presidents from China, Nigeria, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, plus officials from France and the United States. Mali’s junta leader Assimi Goita was also present.
Critics accuse Doumbouya of suppressing civil liberties, banning protests, restricting media and sidelining opponents, many in exile.
With about 52 percent of Guineans in poverty, Doumbouya has vowed to leverage the country’s vast resources — including the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the untapped Simandou iron ore deposit — for economic progress.
Questions remain over whether the elected mandate will deliver genuine reforms or entrench military influence in a nation marked by political volatility.
