Guinea announces first post-coup presidential vote on December 28

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CONAKRY (Reuters) -Guinea will on December 28 hold its first presidential election since a coup in 2021, according to a decree read on state television.

The announcement was made on Saturday, a day after the Supreme Court validated the results of a referendum approving a new constitution that could allow coup leader Mamady Doumbouya to run. Doumbouya has not said whether he plans to.

The coup in Guinea was one of eight that swept West and Central Africa between 2020 and 2023.

Guinea is of international financial significance as the home to the world’s largest reserves of bauxite.

It also has the world’s richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou.

Some countries that experienced coups, such as Chad and Gabon, have since held elections formally marking transitions to civilian rule, while others, including Mali and Niger, have approved lengthy transition periods without the need for a vote.

Doumbouya’s government proposed a two-year transition to elections in 2022 after negotiating with regional bloc ECOWAS, but it missed that deadline.

The new constitution replaces the transitional framework that had barred members of the junta from contesting elections, opening the door for Doumbouya’s candidacy.

It also introduces institutional changes, such as longer presidential terms, from five years to seven, renewable once, and a new Senate.

It passed with 89% of the vote, according to results published late Friday by the Supreme Court that put turnout at 92%.

Opposition politicians have contested the turnout figure, saying it did not square with their observations at polling stations that indicated sparse voter participation.

(Reporting by Guinea newsroom;Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Barbara Lewis)