Trending 
Guinea’s military ruler, General Mamady Doumbouya, has entered the upcoming presidential race, submitting his candidacy to the Supreme Court on Monday ahead of the December 28 elections aimed at restoring civilian governance following the 2021 coup.
Doumbouya has governed the West African country with a firm grip since overthrowing President Alpha Condé more than three years ago.
Despite earlier pledges to oversee a return to democratic rule without personal ambition, expectations had grown that he would seek the presidency.
The junta leader arrived at and departed the Supreme Court in an armoured vehicle surrounded by special forces, offering no public remarks.
Hundreds of supporters travelled to Conakry to show their backing, gathering outside the courthouse as the submission was made.
Guinea has endured cycles of authoritarianism and military takeovers. A brief period of democratic progress followed the 2010 election of Alpha Condé, the country’s first freely elected leader, but that era ended when Doumbouya seized power in September 2021.
Both Guineans and the international community have been pressing for a return to constitutional order. A new constitution, passed in a referendum at the end of September, set the stage for elections and granted Doumbouya eligibility to run.
Opposition figures had urged a boycott, claiming the process was designed to entrench military rule, but turnout was high, and official results showed 89 per cent approval for the new charter.
Since assuming power, Doumbouya, who is in his forties, has imposed sweeping restrictions on civil liberties. Political demonstrations have been banned, while opposition politicians have been arrested, driven into exile or disappeared.
Multiple independent media outlets have been suspended, and journalists detained.
Several other contenders also submitted their bids on Monday, including Makale Camara, the National Alliance Front (FAN) leader and former foreign minister.
She dismissed criticism that opposition candidates were being used merely to provide a veneer of legitimacy, calling such claims “narrow-minded”.
