Guinean coup leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya was sworn in as the country’s interim president, almost a month after leading a coup that ousted longtime President Alpha Condé, reported Africa News.
Doumbouya was sworn in by Supreme Court head Mamadou Sylla for an unspecified transition period. The ceremony was held at the Mohammed-V palace in Conakry on Friday, which was a public holiday commemorating the 1958 declaration of independence from France.
After his swearing-in, the new Guinean president said his mission was to refound the state by drafting a new constitution, tackling corruption, changing the electoral system, and putting in place “free, credible and transparent” elections.
Doumbouya also vowed to respect all the national and international commitments to which the country has subscribed. He reiterated his commitment that neither he nor any member of the military junta would contest in any future elections that the military has promised to organize after the transition period.
According to a blueprint unveiled by the junta on Monday, Doumbouya will serve as transitional president until the country returns to civilian rule. The document said that the transitional president will be the head of state and supreme chief of the armed forces and will have the power to determine the policies of the nation and name and fire an interim prime minister.
Guinea’s military junta has not yet announced how long it would take to organize elections.
Ousted president Conde became Guinea’s first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015. Last year, he pushed through a new Guinean Constitution that allowed him to run for a third term in 2020.
The move led to deadly violent protests all across the country in which dozens of people were killed and hundreds got injured. Although Conde won the election, the opposition and critics slammed the polls as a sham.
