By CONAKRY, Sept 22 (AfrikTimes) – Guinea held a long-awaited referendum on Sunday on a new constitution that could allow coup leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for president, despite his 2021 pledge not to seek office after seizing power.
The military-led government, which oversees the world’s largest reserves of bauxite, missed a self-imposed Dec. 31, 2024 deadline to restore civilian rule. A presidential election is currently scheduled for December. Critics say the referendum is the latest bid by a military junta to entrench itself in West and Central Africa, where eight coups between 2020 and 2023 reshaped the region’s politics.
While officials present the vote as a step toward elections, opponents denounce it as a power grab. Doumbouya has not confirmed if he will run. A transition charter adopted after the coup barred junta members from contesting the next election.
Citizens hold signs as they take part in a rally during the awareness campaign for the upcoming September 21 referendum on a new constitution, in Conakry, Guinea September 16, 2025. The signs read “I vote yes”.
The referendum is widely expected to pass after Guinea’s main opposition leaders – Cellou Dalein Diallo and deposed president Alpha Conde – called for a boycott. Their parties remain suspended, and Human Rights Watch has accused the government of disappearing political opponents and shuttering media outlets. The junta denies the allegations but says investigations are underway.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) and closed at 6 p.m. (1800 GMT). Results have not yet been announced.
The draft constitution would extend the presidential term from five to seven years, renewable once, and create a Senate with one-third of its members appointed by the president.
In Conakry, the final days of campaigning saw the capital plastered with small white posters featuring the word “Yes” alongside a green checkmark.
On Thursday, S&P Global Ratings gave Guinea its first-ever sovereign rating, a B+ with a stable outlook. The agency ranked Guinea the third-best economy in West Africa but noted that “social needs are high and tensions with the opposition are elevated with accusations of arbitrary arrests and rising pressure on the media.”
People walk past a billboard during the awareness campaign for the upcoming September 21 referendum on a new constitution, in Conakry, Guinea September 16, 2025. The billboard reads” I vote yes, a constitution that reflects us and brings us together”.
Reporting by Guinea newsroom, Writing by Adebukola Adeagbo.
