Conakry, Guinea — Former army chief Mamady Doumbouya has taken the presidential oath of office, completing a transition that began when he seized power in September 2021.
The ceremony on Saturday at the General Lansana Conté Stadium drew several African heads of state and foreign envoys, according to local reports. Doumbouya, who led the coup that ousted elected president Alpha Condé, won the 15 December ballot with 86.
7 per cent of votes cast, the Supreme Court announced last month.
State television showed Doumbouya, dressed in a white boubou, pledging to “respect and faithfully enforce” the constitution.
The charter was revised in a September referendum to allow serving military officers to stand for election and to extend presidential terms from five to seven years while maintaining a two — term cap.
The inauguration follows a boycott call from opposition parties whose main leaders remained outside the country. Eight other candidates contested the poll, but turnout figures have not been released. Regional officials confirmed the attendance of presidents from Rwanda, Senegal and The Gambia, together with vice-presidents from China, Nigeria, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.
French and United States diplomats were also present, along with Mali’s transitional leader Colonel Assimi Goïta. Doumbouya’s administration has repeatedly cited corruption and economic mismanagement under the previous government to justify the 2021 takeover. During the transition, the ruling junta dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution before engaging with the Economic Community of West African States on a return to elected rule.
Official statements indicate that the new government will prioritise exploitation of Guinea’s mineral resources, notably its bauxite reserves and untapped iron-ore deposits, in a bid to reduce poverty rates that affect roughly half of the 13 million population. Further details on the composition of the incoming cabinet are expected in the coming days.
