New Guinea constitution lets Junta leader seek presidency

In Guinea, the opposition is crying foul over a controversial constitutional referendum that could pave the way for the country’s junta leader to run for president.

Official results released Tuesday show 89.38% of voters backed the new constitution, with a turnout of over 86%, enough to pass. But opposition leader Faya Millimono is rejecting the outcome, alleging pre-marked ballots, mass annulments, and local chiefs voting under pressure to suppress “no” votes.

“This is not a constitution that can be accepted as valid,” Millimono told the Associated Press.

The vote was overseen by a new electoral body, handpicked by General Mamadi Doumbouya, who seized power in 2021. While elections are promised later this year, no date has been announced and Doumbouya hasn’t ruled out running himself.

The draft constitution extends presidential terms from 5 to 7 years, allows junta members to run, and creates a Senate with a third of its members appointed by the president.

Rights groups have accused the junta of cracking down on dissent, banning over 50 political parties, and suspending opposition ahead of the vote.

Still, Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah called the result a “mandate of trust” and a step toward civilian rule.

But critics across West Africa see it differently as yet another power grab in a region rattled by coups.