Guinea - December 2025
Coup leader wins presidential election after barring key opponents
On 28 December, Guinea held its first presidential election since the 2021 coup. Transitional president General Mamadi Doumbouya won 86.7 per cent of the vote, securing a seven-year term after leading opposition figures were barred from contesting, while revised electoral rules adopted by a referendum in September enabled transitional authorities to run. No women candidates were reported. The electoral authority reported turnout at 80.9 per cent, up from 78.9 per cent in the 2020 presidential election. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) observer mission described the vote as peaceful and orderly, while noting the exclusion of major opposition leaders and minor irregularities in vote counting. The African Union (AU) observer mission similarly stated that the election was conducted in a peaceful, orderly and credible environment. The vote took place following several years of repression of dissent, including restrictions on civic freedoms, enforced disappearances of opposition figures and limits on opposition campaigning during the election period.
Sources: Government of Guinea, International Crisis Group, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Jeune Afrique, Africa Confidential, BBC, International IDEA (1), International IDEA (2)
