CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Guineans will hold a presidential election on Dec. 28, its first since the country's leader Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya took power in a 2021 coup, according to a presidential decree read on state television. The announcement was made on Saturday, a day after the Supreme Court validated the results of aconstitutional referendumthat could allow Doumbouya to run for president. Guinea is one ofseveral West African countrieswhere the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, in power since 2021,agreed in 2022to launch a democratic transition after a Dec. 31, 2024, deadline. The ruling junta's failure to meet the deadline led toopposition protests that paralyzed Guinea's capital Conakryin January. Doumbouya initially said he would not run for president, but the draft constitution approved last week allows junta members to run for office, and extends the presidential mandate from five to seven years, renewable twice.
