GUINEA’s ruling junta wants to extend presidential terms from five to seven years, with a two-term limit, according to a draft constitution due to be put to a referendum in September.
The draft was presented last Thursday to General Mamadi Doumbouya, head of the junta that ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021 — one in a series of military coups in west Africa.
It did not specify whether Doumbouya would be able to run for president when the country returns to democratic elections.
The upcoming referendum is meant to pave the way for a return to constitutional rule in the country, where the junta has placed sharp curbs on citizens’ freedoms since taking power.
Doumbouya initially pledged not to run in a future presidential vote, and a road map set out by the junta in the aftermath of the coup barred its members from running.
But a series of high-profile figures close to the junta have recently said they would support his candidacy.
The draft constitution would also elevate African languages to the status of official languages, alongside French, and proposes a minimum quota of 30 percent for women in elected office and public leadership posts.
The junta had initially vowed under international pressure to return the country to elected civilian rule by the end of last year.
