Social media just went dark after Guinea's junta chief took a huge election lead. The government restricted access to major platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook through providers Orange and MTN while awaiting final results from the presidential vote. Junta leader General Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a coup, holds a massive advantage according to initial counts, with reported leads exceeding eighty percent in districts including the capital Conakry, Boffa, Fria, and Nzerekore. Main opposition parties were barred from the contest, leaving eight other candidates without a significant political footing, and critics condemn the internet controls as an attempt to stifle dissent over what they call a flawed electoral process.
General Doumbouya had originally promised not to seek election after overthrowing former President Alpha Condé, a pledge he broke following a new constitution that allowed his candidacy. Civil society groups and opposition figures have denounced the election as a charade, citing irregularities and highlighting the junta's record of restricting protests and press freedom in the lead-up to the vote. The situation unfolds in a resource-rich country possessing the world's largest bauxite reserves and a major new iron-ore project at Simandou, yet more than half the population lives in poverty according to World Bank data.
General Doumbouya had originally promised not to seek election after overthrowing former President Alpha Condé, a pledge he broke following a new constitution that allowed his candidacy. Civil society groups and opposition figures have denounced the election as a charade, citing irregularities and highlighting the junta's record of restricting protests and press freedom in the lead-up to the vote. The situation unfolds in a resource-rich country possessing the world's largest bauxite reserves and a major new iron-ore project at Simandou, yet more than half the population lives in poverty according to World Bank data.
