Guinea opposition claims irregularities in constitutional referendum
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Guinea’s opposition on Wednesday denounced alleged irregularities in a constitutional referendum that could allow the country’s junta leader to run for president.
Results from Sunday’s referendum showed that 89.38% of voters backed the proposed constitution, the minister of territorial administration said on Tuesday. The figure was slightly lower than the 90.06% of “yes” votes the Directorate General of Elections announced the day before. With a turnout of 86.42%, the measure passed by a comfortable margin, as only 50% was needed.
The Directorate General of Elections is a newly created body that oversees the voting and counting. Its two heads were selected by junta leader Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, who took power by force four years ago. Presidential and legislative elections are expected to follow later this year, but no precise date has been set.
Cellou Dalein Diallo, one of the country’s main opposition leaders and the head of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea party said Wednesday the results were “prepared in advance” and aimed at making Doumbouya eligible for the presidential election.
“This is only the first step in a process designed to give a veneer of legitimacy and legality to a power seized and maintained by force of arms,” he said in a statement on social media. Diallo has been in exile since 2022.
Doumbouya initially said he would not run for the presidency. But the draft constitution would allow junta members to run for office, and extends the presidential mandate from 5 to 7 years, renewable twice. It also creates a Senate in which one-third of the members would be appointed by the president.
Faya Millimono, leader of the opposition party Liberal Bloc, claimed ballots were pre-marked, while thousands of others were annulled, and local chiefs voted in place of citizens under pressure to suppress “no” votes on Sunday.
“This is not a constitution that can be accepted as valid,” Millimono told The Associated Press.
Guinea is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has seized control. The referendum, a key step in the country’s transition from military to civilian rule, is being closely monitored in the coup-battered region. Critics have slammed it as a power grab.
Some say it is a way for Doumbouya to seek the presidency and legitimize his military rule. The junta leader has not said officially whether he would run in the upcoming election.
Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah told reporters Wednesday the results in favor of the new constitution represent a “mandate of trust” and pave the way towards a return to civilian rule.
“Both the ‘yes’ and the ‘no’ votes expressed the vitality of our democracy,” Bah said.
Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021, saying he acted to prevent the country from slipping into chaos. Despite rich natural resources, over half of Guinea’s population of 15 million people are experiencing “unprecedented levels of poverty and food insecurity,” according to the World Food Program.
Rights organizations have accused the military regime of disappearing its opponents and silencing critical media voices ahead of the vote after dissolving more than 50 political parties. Weeks before the referendum, it suspended the three main opposition parties.
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Associated Press writer Fode Toure in Conakry, Guinea, contributed to this report.
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AP’s Africa coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
By MARK BANCHEREAU
Associated Press
