Guinea’s Supreme Court has cleared military ruler General Mamady Doumbouya to contest next month’s presidential election, officially including his name on the provisional list of nine candidates.
Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup that ousted former president Alpha Condé, is widely seen as the frontrunner.
His candidacy follows last month’s referendum in which voters approved changes allowing him to run, despite his earlier promise to hand over power after the coup.
Several key opposition figures, including former prime minister Lansana Kouyaté and ex-minister Ousmane Kaba, were disqualified on technical grounds — a move that has further fueled doubts about the credibility of the vote. Kouyaté has vowed to appeal.
Others cleared to contest include opposition leader Faya Millimono and former minister Aboulaye Yero Baldé.
The December election comes a year later than the timeline agreed with ECOWAS, after the junta dissolved many political parties and suspended the main opposition groups.
Guinea now joins a list of West African countries — including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — where military rulers are seeking to entrench their hold on power through the ballot box.
