Guinea’s military leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has officially entered the country’s upcoming presidential election, breaking an earlier pledge to hand power to a civilian government.
Doumbouya, who took power in a 2021 coup, submitted his candidacy to the Supreme Court in Conakry on Monday, surrounded by soldiers and wearing dark sunglasses. He made no public remarks.
The decision comes as major opposition parties, including the RPG Arc-en-Ciel and UFDG, have been barred from participating in the December election, raising questions about the fairness of the process.
Candidates are required to pay a deposit of 875 million Guinean francs ($100,000), a move critics say discourages wider political participation.
Doumbouya, a French-trained officer who previously served in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, and the Central African Republic, had promised in 2021 that he would not run for office.
Since assuming power, his government has been accused of restricting media outlets, limiting internet access, and suppressing protests demanding a return to democracy.
The election will be held under a new constitution that allows Doumbouya to contest. Several key figures, including former President Alpha Condé and opposition leaders Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Touré, remain in exile.
At 40 years old, Doumbouya is Africa’s youngest head of state and is now seeking to extend his rule through the ballot box.