Keypoints:
- Junta sets December 2025 for presidential and legislative polls
- Constitutional referendum planned for September
- Crackdown on opposition continues despite timeline
GUINEA’S ruling military junta has announced December 2025 as the new target date for long-overdue presidential and legislative elections, in a move aimed at easing international pressure and restoring investor confidence. The commitment was made public by Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, Reuters reports.
Speaking during a panel on Guinea’s major infrastructure projects, Bah also confirmed that a constitutional referendum will take place earlier on September 21, 2025. The vote is intended to pave the way for the return to constitutional rule, a promise first made by coup leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya in 2022, but repeatedly delayed.
‘The constitutional referendum will be on 21 September and the legislative and presidential elections will be in December,’ Bah told the forum. ‘I can assure you that ‘Simandou’s first train will arrive before the elections.’
Missed deadlines and mounting pressure
Guinea has been under military rule since September 2021, when Doumbouya overthrew former President Alpha Condé. A transition plan proposed in 2022 set a two-year timeline, aiming for elections by the end of 2024. However, that deadline passed with no vote preparations in place.
The newly proposed election schedule comes just weeks after the junta unveiled a draft constitution that, according to analysts, could enable Doumbouya to run for president—a move that has drawn sharp criticism from civil society and regional observers.
The delayed return to civilian rule has strained relations with ECOWAS and other partners, raising fears of political backsliding in a region already grappling with military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Opposition silenced amid promises of reform
Despite the election pledge, political repression continues. Guinea’s two former ruling parties remain suspended, and the largest opposition party, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), is under constant surveillance.
Human rights groups have denounced the junta’s tactics, accusing it of stifling dissent and curbing democratic freedoms ahead of the proposed elections.
Simandou project used to bolster credibility
Prime Minister Bah also used the occasion to promote Guinea’s Simandou iron ore project, a multibillion-dollar venture seen as key to the country’s economic future. He linked the project’s progress directly to the election timeline, promising that its first train will be operational before the December vote.
The Simandou deposit is one of the world’s richest sources of untapped iron ore and has attracted international players including Rio Tinto and Chinese-backed investors. However, political uncertainty has long stalled infrastructure development required to export the mineral.
