2025 Guinean constitutional referendum

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2025 Guinean constitutional referendum
Flag of Guinea.svg
  2020 September 21, 2025
Do you approve of the draft of the new constitution?
Results
Choice
Votes%
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svgYes5,143,55189.06%
Light brown x.svgNo632,08110.94%
Valid votes5,775,63297.04%
Invalid or blank votes205,4803.45%
Total votes5,951,807100.00%
Registered voters/turnout6,768,45886.42%

Prefectures of Guinea base map.svg
Results by prefecture

A referendum on a new constitution was held in Guinea on 21 September 2025, to determine whether to replace the existing constitution introduced in 2020 with a new version that introduced a Senate and extended the term limits for the president. Voters approved the new constitution by 89% to 11%. [1]

Contents

The referendum was conducted as part of a pledge by the military junta led by Mamady Doumbouya to restore civilian rule following the 2021 Guinean coup d'état. [2]

Background

From gaining independence from France in 1958 until 2010, Guinea was ruled by various successive autocracies, many of them military juntas. [3] In 2008, the last of these regimes came to power following the death of long-time president Lansana Conté; a military junta led by Moussa Dadis Camara was established following a coup that took advantage of the power vacuum left by his death. [4] Domestic and international opposition to Camara grew, and after a lethal crackdown on opposition protests in 2009, [5] Camara was shot in the head in an assassination attempt and moved to Morocco for medical treatment. [6] Under domestic and international (mainly American and French) pressure, the succeeding acting president, Sékouba Konaté organized elections for the following year. [7]

In the 2010 Guinean presidential election, long-time opposition leader Alpha Condé became the first freely elected president in the country's history. [8] Condé was re-elected in 2015 and 2020; the last election occurring due to constitutional changes implemented through a March 2020 referendrum. [9]

Opposition leaders denied the legitimacy of the referendum results, fueling mass unrest in the country that had already been occurring in opposition to the constitutional amendments and continued after his reelection. The demonstrations were brutally repressed, resulting in 85 deaths. [10] [11] Compounded with an economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated supply chain crisis, Guinea became increasingly unstable. [12] [13]

On 5 September 2021, President Condé was captured by the country's armed forces in a coup d'état in Conakry. Special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya released a broadcast on state television announcing the dissolution of the constitution and government. [14] On 1 October 2021, Doumbouya was sworn in as the interim president. [15]

Doumbouya initially set 31 December 2024, as the deadline to launch a democratic transition. However, he missed the deadline, leading to protests and criticism from activists and the opposition. Under pressure, he promised in his New Year’s message that a decree for the constitutional referendum would be signed. Authorities have further added that all elections would be held this year, without committing to a particular date. [15] The referendum will be watched by international observers, which have urged Doumbouya to follow through on his commitments and restore democratic rule. [2]

The draft constitution was released in June 2025. [16] Among its provisions were increasing the presidential term from five to seven years, with a limit of two terms, and creating a Senate, with a third of its members appointed by the president. [17] Junta leader Doumbouya would also be allowed to run for election, which drew protests from the opposition. [18]

Campaign

Campaigning began on 31 August 2025 and closed on 18 September. The High Authority of Communication (HAC) issued limits on the selection of media outlets allowed to cover the referendum, restricting unrecognized entities that were in conflict with authorities. Private media outlets were also prohibited from engaging in interactive programs that discuss the referendum. [19] The limits were subsequently relaxed on 1 September. [20] The government deployed 45,000 members of the security forces and 1,000 light and armoured vehicles and combat helicopters nationwide to secure the vote. [21]

Results

The new constitution was approved by 90.6% of voters with a turnout of at least 91.4% from 80% of polling stations. [22]

ChoiceVotes%
For90.6
Against9.4
Total
Registered voters/turnout91.4
Source: AP News [22]

Reactions

Writer Tierno Monénembo said he would boycott the referendum, calling it a farce and a way for President Doumbouya of "legitimising his putsch and holding onto power for as long as possible". [23] Opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo and former President Alpha Condé also called for a boycott of the vote. [24]

Following the release of the results, Diallo said the results had been "prepared in advance" in order to make Doumbouya eligible to run in the upcoming presidential election. Faya Millimono, leader of the opposition Liberal Bloc, claimed ballots were pre-marked, while thousands of others were annulled. He also accused local chiefs of voting on behalf of regular voters under pressure to suppress "no" votes. In contrast, prime minister Bah Oury said the results represent a "mandate of trust" and pave the way towards a return to civilian rule. [25]

References

  1. "Guinea sets a date in September for a key referendum that would launch a return to democracy". AP News. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Guinea's junta sets September vote on new constitution after missed deadline". RFI. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
  3. "Guinea: Soldiers claim to have seized power and dissolved government as president 'detained'". Sky News. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  4. "Military takes control in Guinea". BBC News. 23 December 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
  5. "U.S. Envoy Protests Violence in Guinea (Published 2009)". 7 October 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  6. "After Assassination Attempt, Guinea's Junta Leader Leaves Country for Treatment (Published 2009)". 4 December 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  7. "Guinée : Comment France et Etats-Unis ont écarté le chef de la junte" (in French). 9 December 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  8. "Can Guineans grab hold of democracy?". BBC News. 4 November 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  9. "Guinea military officials say they have detained the president and taken control of the country". The Washington Post. 5 September 2021. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  10. "Guinée. Au moins 50 personnes tuées en toute impunité dans des manifestations en moins d'un an". Amnesty International (in French). 1 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  11. "Guinée : quatre choses à savoir sur le référendum constitutionnel reporté qui a plongé le pays dans une nouvelle impasse politique". Franceinfo (in French). 1 March 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  12. ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone International- (5 September 2021). "Coup d'État en Guinée, le président Alpha Condé capturé par les putschistes". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  13. "Wheat Supplies Are Shrinking and It's Bad News for Bread Prices". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  14. "Elite Guinea army unit says it has toppled president". Reuters. 5 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  15. 1 2 "Guinée : Mamadi Doumbouya devient officiellement chef de l'État". Jeune Afrique (in French). 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  16. "Guinea's new draft constitution sparks debate over presidential term limits". Constitution Net. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  17. "Guinea presents draft for new constitution, referendum set for September". Africanews. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  18. "En Guinée, l'opposition rejette le projet de Constitution qui permettrait une candidature du chef de la junte" (in French). 16 July 2025. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
  19. "Official campaigns launch for Guinea referendum amidst new media coverage guidelines". Africanews. 30 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  20. "Guinea relaxes media restrictions ahead of constitutional referendum". Africanews. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  21. "Guineans approve new constitution by wide margin, pave way for elections". France 24. 24 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Guineans vote 'yes' in referendum that could allow leader of country's junta to run for president". AP News. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
  23. "Guinea's Tierno Monenembo: stolen words and diehard critic of military rule". France 24. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  24. "Guinea votes on new constitution to move from military to civilian rule". Al Jazeera. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  25. "Guinea opposition claims irregularities in constitutional referendum". AP News. 25 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.