Guinea votes in presidential election expected to cement Doumbouya’s rule

Guinea began voting on Sunday in a presidential election widely expected to hand Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup, a seven-year mandate, completing the West African nation’s transition back to civilian rule.
The former special forces commander, thought to be in his early 40s, faces eight other candidates in a fragmented field with no strong challenger. Ousted President Alpha Conde and longtime opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo remain in exile.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) in the capital Conakry, with only slight delays in some cases as small queues of people waited outside. Some voters described the election as a formality and the outcome as a foregone conclusion.
“The most important thing is that the country returns to normal. I’m pragmatic. I voted for the one who is in office and who ensures the continuity of the state,” shopkeeper Moussa Kaba told Reuters.