Guinea returns to the path of democracy

On 28 December 2025, a new president will be elected in the West African state of Guinea (Conakry). This will bring to an end the nearly five-year period during which Mamady Doumbouya, installed by the military, has been at the head of the country.

By Jürgen Klute

When Guinea’s president, Alpha Condé, was ousted from office by an elite military unit on 5 September 2021, it caused great concern in the international community, while civil society in Guinea was rather relieved, as the German newspaper ‘taz’ wrote on 6 September 2021. Condé was elected as president for the first time in 2010 in Guinea’s first free elections. He belongs to the RPG (Rassemblement du Peuple de Guinée) party, which is part of the social democratic party family. During his second term in office, the then 83-year-old Condé showed authoritarian tendencies. In 2020, he pushed through a constitutional amendment that would allow him to run for a third term. The constitutional amendment and his intention to run for another term led to protests in October 2020, resulting in dozens of deaths.

After Alpha Condé was deposed, Mamady Doumbouya took over as president and installed a transitional government under Prime Minister Bah Oury.

Following a series of reforms in recent years, Guinea now wants to return to democratic rule. Accordingly, democratic elections for the office of president are scheduled for 28 December 2025.

At a press conference at the PressClub Brussels, Francesco Rizzo (Consultant International), Ibrahima Camara (Chargé des Affaires) and Aly Doumbouya (L’ambassade de Guinée à Bruxelles) explained the upcoming elections on 28 December.

The representatives emphasised that since the beginning of the transition period, the focus has been on stabilising state structures and preparing a transparent electoral process. The concrete preparation of this electoral process has required considerable administrative and organisational efforts – from updating the electoral rolls and training election staff to setting up the logistical framework. Both the government and civil society actors had repeatedly emphasised that credible, transparent and peaceful elections were their top priority.

In September 2025, a referendum had approved a new constitution, Ibrahim Camara continued, paving the way for the presidential elections at the end of December. A decree issued on 13 November 2025 officially called on voters to go to the polls. Aly Doumbouya emphasised that all Guineans living in exile around the world are also eligible and called upon to participate in the election. An estimated 100,000 people with Guinean nationality live in the European Union, 25,435 of them in Germany (according to information from the Federal Government in July 2024), more than 35,000 in France and just over 18,000 in Belgium.

Motivating their compatriots living in Europe to participate in the election was a central aim of this press conference, as Francesco Rizzo explained. Voting is possible at the embassies of the respective countries and, in some countries, also at the consulates.

The Supreme Court of Guinea has officially approved the following candidates for the presidential election: Mamady Doumbouya – current transitional president, running as an independent; Faya Lansana Millimouno – leader of the Liberal Bloc (opposition party); Makalé Camara; Ibrahima Abe Sylla; Abdoulaye Kourouma; Mohamed Nabé; Elhadj Bouna Keïta; Mohamed Chérif Tounkara.

This presidential election is linked to the expectation and hope that the transition to a democratically legitimate government will be completed. This is associated with the desire for stability, the rule of law and international recognition.

Camara emphasised that orderly, transparent elections should strengthen the population’s trust in state institutions and democracy. He sees this as a basic prerequisite for sustainable development, economic stability and national reconciliation. The coming weeks will be decisive in further consolidating the democratic process in Guinea, broadening political participation and permanently stabilising state institutions.

For Rizzo, the international community plays a central role in supporting this important process: numerous states and organisations, he said, are providing technical and logistical assistance, including election observation, expertise in election management and support for civil society awareness-raising. This is making a significant contribution to strengthening confidence in the electoral process.
In addition, diplomatic support promotes dialogue between national actors and international partners, which is of great importance for stability and transparency.

The presidential election opens up significant prospects for Guinea, such as the consolidation of reliable governance based on the rule of law, the strengthening of institutional control and the creation of a more stable framework for economic development and international cooperation

However, Rizzo added that there are also considerable challenges, such as ensuring the neutrality of the electoral commission and the security forces, dealing with potential tensions during the election campaign and after the results are announced, and promoting a political climate that favours peaceful acceptance of the election results.

Finally, Camara emphasised that the current government had repeatedly stressed that it was striving for an inclusive, peaceful and transparent process.