Guinea’s regime tightens grip, suspends main opposition parties ahead of referendum

With just weeks to go before a highly contentious constitutional referendum, Guinea’s ruling military regime has suspended the country’s three largest opposition parties for 90 days, effectively silencing dissent ahead of a pivotal vote on 21 September.

The suspended parties include the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) of ousted president Alpha Condé, the Union of Democratic Forces led by ex-Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, and the Party of Renewal and Progress. This move comes as opposition groups and civil society prepare for mass protests on 5 September, denouncing what they describe as a power grab by junta leader General Mamadi Doumbouya. “These parties have not fulfilled the obligations required of them,” the order stated. For Guinea’s opposition parties, the latest suspension “strips away any pretense that the transition was actually working to protect democracy,” said one commentator.

Doumbouya, who seized power in a 2021 coup, originally pledged a return to democratic rule. However, critics argue the upcoming referendum could open a path for him to run for president, despite an earlier military-imposed ban on junta members contesting elections. The proposed constitution does not clearly prohibit his candidacy. The junta has banned all protests since 2022 and continues to arrest or exile opposition leaders. International rights groups warn Guinea’s fragile democratic hopes are fading, with civil liberties increasingly suppressed. Analysts fear the latest suspension strips away any illusion of an inclusive political transition, potentially triggering further unrest in a region already destabilized by a wave of military coups.