Mamady Doumbouya has been declared president of Guinea after winning the majority of votes cast, according to provisional results released on Tuesday by the country’s election commission.
Doumbouya secured 86.72 percent of the votes in Sunday’s election, a margin wide enough to avoid a runoff. The supreme court is expected to validate the results within eight days, should there be any legal challenge.
The victory is set to formalise his leadership four years after he took power through a military coup.
After toppling then 83-year-old President Alpha Condé in 2021, Doumbouya had pledged not to contest elections and to hand over power to a civilian administration.
“As soldiers, we value our word very much,” he assured at the time.
However, he later entered the race following the adoption of a new constitution in September, which made him eligible to run for the presidency.
Eight other candidates contested the election, though none were from the main opposition parties, which were excluded from the process, effectively strengthening Doumbouya’s position.
On Monday, internet monitoring group NetBlocks reported restrictions on access to social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Facebook as citizens awaited the official announcement of results.
Civil society organisations advocating a return to civilian rule described the election as a “charade”, while opposition figures alleged that the poll was affected by irregularities.
So far, no candidate has formally challenged the outcome.