Conakry, Guinea – Vote counting continues in Guinea following the presidential election held on Sunday, December 28th. The election is intended to mark the end of a four-year transitional period led by General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a military coup.
Approximately seven million Guineans were eligible to vote for a new president. While authorities have characterized the election as having high turnout, the opposition alleges a widespread popular boycott.
The Director-General of Elections announced a voter turnout of 85% shortly after the polls closed. However, local and international press outlets covering the election have painted a different picture, reporting “low turnout” and a “lack of enthusiasm” at polling stations.
The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy (ANAD), an opposition coalition comprised of prominent figures in exile or prison, claims its call for a boycott was widely heeded.
Souleymane Souza Konate, ANAD’s media officer, stated that the election is “the latest act in a political charade designed to keep Mamady Doumbouya in power through force and deception,” adding that “the overwhelming majority of Guineans abstained from voting.”
DZWatch has learned that prior to the election, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concerns about “cases of intimidation of opponents, enforced disappearances, and restrictions on freedom of the media,” warning that these violations could undermine the credibility of the entire electoral process.
