Voters in Guinea have delivered a resounding endorsement of a new constitution, with provisional results showing an overwhelming majority in favor—a move that could fundamentally reshape the country’s political future and pave the way for the military junta’s leader to seek the presidency. The referendum, held on September 21, 2025, comes four years after General Mamady Doumbouya seized power in a coup, promising to restore civilian rule to the West African nation. Now, the results are in: more than 90% of ballots cast supported the new charter, according to figures released by the country’s electoral authorities.
According to Djenabou Toure, head of Guinea’s Directorate General of Elections, turnout in over 80% of polling stations reached 91.4%. Of the votes counted, 90.06% were ‘yes’ and 9.04% ‘no’, as reported by the Associated Press. Other official announcements, including those from Ibrahima Kalil Conde, the minister of territorial administration and decentralisation, cited an 89.4% ‘yes’ vote with an overall turnout of 86.4%, as noted by AFP. Regardless of the slight variation in numbers, the message from the electorate was unmistakable: Guineans overwhelmingly backed the new constitution.
The referendum required at least 50% turnout to be valid—a threshold easily surpassed. With final results pending review by the Supreme Court, the provisional outcome already signals a new chapter for Guinea, a country of about 15 million people, more than half of whom face unprecedented levels of poverty and food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.
The newly approved constitution brings sweeping changes. Most notably, it extends the presidential mandate from five to seven years, renewable twice, and creates a Senate, with one-third of its members to be appointed by the president. Crucially, the charter removes previous restrictions barring junta members from seeking elected office, thus opening the door for Doumbouya himself to run. As reported by BBC and AFP, this shift has prompted critics and opposition parties to denounce the referendum as a thinly veiled power grab.
Doumbouya, whose face adorned T-shirts, posters, and boubous (traditional West African garments) throughout the capital, Conakry, has not officially announced his candidacy. Yet, he was the central figure of the ‘yes’ campaign, which featured rallies, Quran readings, reggae concerts, and prayers in support of the military leader. The campaign’s omnipresence was hard to miss. “We have seen many regimes here, but since the arrival of (Doumbouya), there has been change,” said Ben Daouda Sylla, a 30-year-old lawyer, in an interview with the Associated Press. “He is doing everything possible to ensure that Guinea moves forward.”
But not everyone was celebrating. The opposition, sidelined and suppressed, called for a boycott, branding the process a “masquerade.” Since 2022, the military regime has dissolved more than 50 political parties, banned demonstrations, and suspended major opposition groups, including those led by Cellou Dalein Diallo and deposed former President Alpha Conde. Weeks before the referendum, the three main opposition parties were suspended, making it impossible for them to organize rallies or communicate with the public. “Our activists and supporters have no knowledge of this constitution. The moment we were excluded, they were excluded,” said Rafiou Sow, president of the suspended Renewal and Progress Party, to the Associated Press. “We, who were supposed to help Guineans understand what is written in it, we are forbidden even to speak.”
With opposition voices largely relegated to social media and exile, the ‘no’ campaign was virtually invisible on the ground. As AFP reported, the authorities took no chances with security: 45,000 members of the security forces, 1,000 light and armoured vehicles, and combat helicopters were deployed nationwide to ensure order during the vote. The United Nations Human Rights Office urged the military authorities to ensure the referendum was peaceful and transparent, warning that “recent bans on political parties and media outlets raise serious questions about inclusiveness and free participation for all.”
The new constitution replaces the transitional charter introduced by the military government after the 2021 coup. That charter had explicitly prohibited junta members from running for election. Now, with no such restriction in place, Doumbouya’s path to the presidency is wide open—if he chooses to take it. The military had initially pledged to return power to civilians before the end of 2024, but elections are now expected later in 2025, with no precise date set.
Guinea’s situation is emblematic of a wider trend in West Africa. The region has seen a spate of military takeovers in countries like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, with juntas often citing national stability and broken promises by previous governments as justification for their rule. Many of these regimes have moved to distance themselves from former colonial power France, seeking closer ties with Russia—a geopolitical realignment that has not gone unnoticed by international observers.
The crackdown on dissent in Guinea has drawn sharp criticism from rights organizations. Since Doumbouya’s rise, authorities have arrested, prosecuted, or pushed into exile several opposition leaders, with reports of forced disappearances and media outlets being suspended. Demonstrations have been banned since 2022, further stifling public debate. Yet, despite these restrictions, many Guineans appear to have placed their hopes in the promise of stability and development under the new constitution.
General Amara Camara, secretary-general to the presidency, defended the process in remarks to AFP: “This constitution is the profound expression of the aspirations of the people of Guinea.” He added, “Many had expressed doubts about the organisation of this vote, and we have allayed them; we hope that we will also be able to organise the legislative and presidential elections when the time comes.”
For now, Guinea stands at a crossroads. The new constitution marks a significant turning point, but the nation’s democratic future remains uncertain. Whether Doumbouya will run for president, and how free and fair the upcoming elections will be, are questions that loom large over the months ahead. What is clear is that the referendum has set the stage for a dramatic new phase in Guinea’s political saga—one watched closely by its citizens, its neighbors, and the world.