Military leader set to extend rule amid mining boom

Guineans voted yesterday in their first elections since a 2021 coup, with military junta leader Mamadi Doumbouya widely expected to extend his rule amid a mining boom.

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Mr Doumbouya faced a fragmented opposition, and advisory firm Control Risks said none of the eight other candidates posed a serious threat to him securing a first-round victory.

Challengers included Abdoulaye Yéro Baldé, a former deputy central bank governor, and Faya Lansana Millimouno, the Liberal Bloc’s candidate who also ran in the 2015 presidential election.

Ex-president Alpha Condé, ousted in 2021, along with ex-premiers Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Touré — all now in exile — were barred from standing. Authorities cited a “lack of transparency” surrounding their campaign funding.