Guinea military government leader enters presidential race

Mamady Doumbouya formally files papers for the December 28 election, aimed astatine restoring law bid aft 2021 coup.

Guinea’s subject authorities leader, Mamady Doumbouya, has officially entered the statesmanlike race, submitting his candidacy for the December 28 elections, aimed astatine restoring law bid pursuing the general’s 2021 coup.

Doumbouya arrived astatine the West African country’s Supreme Court successful an armoured conveyance connected Monday to formally manus successful his candidacy, surrounded by peculiar forces. He near without giving a statement.

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Thousands of his supporters, who had travelled to the capital, Conakry, by bus, gathered extracurricular the court, chanting: “Mamady champion, Mamady president, Mamady already elected!”

Doumbouya, 40, had promised not to tally erstwhile helium seized powerfulness successful 2021. But a caller constitution pushed by the subject authorities and approved successful a referendum successful September opened the doorway to his candidacy.

The caller charter replaced arrangements agreed to aft the coup, which had barred members of the subject authorities from contesting elections. It besides requires statesmanlike candidates to unrecorded successful Guinea and beryllium betwixt 40 and 80 years old.

This would barroom 2 perchance almighty candidates – erstwhile President Alpha Conde, 87, the country’s archetypal freely-elected president, who lives abroad, and erstwhile Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, 73, who is successful exile implicit corruption allegations that helium denies.

Other candidates, including erstwhile Prime Minister Lansana Kouyate and erstwhile Foreign Minister Hadja Makale Camara, person submitted their applications and would beryllium capable to stand.

In a connection connected Monday, the absorption Living Forces of Guinea (FVG) confederation condemned Doumbouya’s candidacy arsenic “a disastrous turning constituent successful our country’s history” and accused him of trampling connected “the solemn commitments” helium made not to tally for president.

Impoverished Guinea, a erstwhile French colony that is location to 14.5 cardinal people, has agelong been blighted by coups and unit from hardline governments.

However, it experienced a play of antiauthoritarian modulation pursuing the November 2010 predetermination of Conde, until helium was overthrown by Doumbouya successful September 2021.

Since coming to power, Doumbouya has importantly restricted freedoms.

The subject authorities has banned demonstrations and has arrested, prosecuted oregon pushed into exile respective absorption leaders, immoderate of whom were victims of forced disappearances.

Several media outlets person besides been suspended and journalists arrested.

Guinea became the 2nd state successful sub-Saharan Africa aft Ghana to summation independency successful 1958, earlier the decolonisation question of the 1960s. It is location to the world’s largest bauxite reserves and the world’s richest untapped robust ore deposit astatine Simandou.