Coup leader Doumbouya elected Guinea’s president

Guinea coup leader Mamady Doumbouya has been elected president, according to provisional results announced on Tuesday.

Doumbouya completed the return to civilian rule in the West African nation.

The former special forces commander seized power in 2021, toppling then president Alpha Conde, who had been in office since 2010.

It was one in a series of nine coups that have reshaped politics in West and Central Africa since 2020.

Provisional results announced on Tuesday showed Doumbouya winning 86.72% of the December 28 election, an absolute majority that allows him to avoid a runoff.

The Supreme Court has eight days to validate the results in the event of any challenge.

Doumbouya’s victory, which gives him a seven-year mandate, was widely expected.

Conde and Cellou Dalein Diallo, Guinea’s longtime opposition leader, are in exile, leaving Doumbouya to face a fragmented field of eight challengers.

The Star