General Mamady Doumbouya was inaugurated as the President of Guinea in a ceremony held in Conakry on Saturday. This follows his victory in the presidential elections held on December 28th, where he secured 86% of the vote. His ascension to the presidency comes after a period of transition following a coup led by him over four years ago.
Doumbouya, aged 41, took the oath of office before an estimated 50,000 people, pledging allegiance to the new constitution approved in a referendum in September 2025. This marks the end of the transitional period during which he held power after leading the coup.
Dressed in traditional attire, Doumbouya appeared in good health as he entered the Lansana Conté stadium, greeting the public from a military vehicle escorted by a motorcycle unit. During the swearing-in ceremony, Doumbouya stated, “I swear before God, and before the people of Guinea, to respect and enforce respect for the Constitution, the laws, and judicial decisions.”
The presidential elections were held four years after the September 2021 coup that ousted civilian President Alpha Condé, who had been in power since 2010. The military council, which seized power after the coup, had pledged to return power to civilians before the end of 2024. However, this promise was not fulfilled, and the country experienced a period marked by increased arrests, suspension of political parties, forced disappearances, and abduction of opposition figures.
For months, Doumbouya remained largely out of the public eye, making few public statements, which fueled speculation about his health and ability to perform his new duties. In recent weeks, his appearances were limited to recorded video statements.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by several African heads of state, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Gambian President Adama Barrow, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, and Liberian President Joseph Boikai.
Also in attendance was General Assimi Goïta, who has been leading Mali since the two coups in 2020 and 2021, as well as the President of Gabon, General Brice Oligui Nguema.
