Guinea’s ruling military junta has suspended three of the country’s most influential opposition parties, including that of former president Alpha Condé, just weeks before a controversial constitutional referendum.
According to an order obtained by AFP on Saturday, the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) led by Condé, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) headed by former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, and the Party of Renewal and Progress (PRP) have all been banned from political activity for three months.
The junta justified the suspension by alleging that the parties had failed to meet certain obligations required of them, though no details were given.
The decision comes as opposition parties and civil society groups prepare to hold demonstrations from September 5 against what they describe as an attempt by junta leader General Mamadi Doumbouya to consolidate power.
Referendum and Delayed Campaign
Guinea is scheduled to hold a referendum on September 21 to approve a new constitution. However, the junta announced late Friday on state television that the official campaign period would be delayed by one week, now starting on August 31.
Doumbouya, who seized power in September 2021 after toppling Condé’s decade-long rule, has presented the referendum as a step toward returning the country to civilian government. A draft constitution was submitted to him in June, but the text leaves uncertainty over whether he himself could run for president.
This ambiguity has fueled fears among opposition groups that the new charter could be used to extend military dominance over Guinea’s fragile democracy.
Opposition Crackdown
Since 2022, the junta has banned all public demonstrations and cracked down heavily on dissent. Several opposition leaders have been arrested, prosecuted, or forced into exile.
Critics argue that suspending major political parties just weeks before the referendum undermines the credibility of the transition process. “This is nothing short of a political maneuver to silence dissent and push through a constitution that serves the junta,” one opposition figure told local media.
Guinea, a country with a long history of authoritarian rule, now faces heightened political tensions as the September referendum approaches. The outcome could determine not just the timeline for a return to civilian rule, but also whether Doumbouya himself intends to stay in power.
