Guinea’s Supreme Court on Sunday officially validated junta leader Mamady Doumbouya’s victory in the country’s December 28 presidential election, confirming he won 86.72% of the vote. The ruling upholds provisional results announced earlier in the week and formally cements Doumbouya’s mandate following a tightly controlled poll in which major opposition figures were barred from running. His closest challenger, Abdoulaye Yéro Baldé, secured 6.59% of the vote, unchanged from the initial tally. Baldé had filed a legal challenge contesting the results but later withdrew his complaint, according to Supreme Court President Fodé Bangoura, who announced the final figures.
In his first national address after the court’s decision, Doumbouya struck a conciliatory tone, calling for unity and reconciliation. “There are neither winners nor losers. There is only one Guinea, united and indivisible,” he said, urging citizens to work together for peace, justice and economic sovereignty. Doumbouya seized power in a September 2021 military coup that toppled President Alpha Condé. The election was widely viewed by analysts as a key step by the military leader to legitimize his continued rule amid ongoing criticism over democratic backsliding and restrictions on political participation.
