By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The military government in Guinea has set up a new body that will be responsible for managing the country’s elections, including a constitutional referendum coming up in September, as well as the general and presidential elections scheduled to hold in December.
Guinea is one of the West African countries where the military had seized power and has delayed elections to usher in the return of civilian government.
Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, who has been in power since 2021, agreed in 2022 to launch a democratic transition after a 31 December 2024 deadline, but it was not met.
The inability of the military-led government to adhere to the deadline sparked demonstrations led by the opposition, which paralysed commercial and social activities in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, in January.
The new body, Directorate General of Elections (DGE), will be responsible, among other duties, for organising elections, managing the electoral register, and ensuring electoral fairness, junta leader Doumbouya announced in a decree read on state television late Saturday.
The two heads of the institution will be appointed by presidential decree, Doumbouya added.
The DGE will also represent Guinea in subregional, regional, and international electoral bodies.
Last month, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said the general and presidential elections will take place in December 2025. He also confirmed that a referendum will take place to adopt a new constitution on 21 September, as announced by the junta in April.
The opposition has raised concerns about the credibility of the elections. The military regime dissolved more than 50 political parties last year in a move it claimed was to “clean up the political chessboard.”
It has also tightened the grip on independent media, rights groups say, with social networks and private radio stations often cut off, and information sites interrupted or suspended for several months without explanation, while journalists face attacks and arrests.
