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Guinea Closes Referendum on New Constitution as Vote Counting Begins

The text removes a ban on junta candidacies and lengthens presidential terms after a campaign dominated by a yes message under heavy security.

Citizens hold signs as they take part in a rally during the awareness campaign for the upcoming September 21 referendum on a new constitution, in Conakry, Guinea September 16, 2025. The signs read "I vote yes". REUTERS/Souleymane Camara/File Photo
Fishing boats are anchored along the shore in Conakry, Guinea, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025 (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)
Motorcycles travel through a roundabout in Conakry, Guinea, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)
CORRECTS TITLE OF MILITARY LEADER People walk past a mural showing Guinea's interim president, Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, ahead of the constitutional referendum in Conakry, Guinea, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Overview

  • Opposition parties urged a boycott, denouncing the process as a charade designed to entrench military rule.
  • Election officials said preliminary results are expected Tuesday at the earliest after some stations extended voting past the scheduled close.
  • About 6.7 million people were eligible to vote, and the measure requires at least 50% turnout to pass under the rules reported by election authorities.
  • Security forces deployed roughly 45,000 personnel with about 1,000 light and armored vehicles and combat helicopters to oversee the vote, according to the National Gendarmerie.
  • The draft also creates a Senate with one-third of seats appointed by the president and sets age and residency rules that would sideline exiled figures such as Alpha Condé and Cellou Dalein Diallo; authorities say national elections would follow later this year but have not set dates.