Military leader Doumbouya sworn in as Guinea’s president

Doumbouya was declared victor in the West African country’s first election since he led the 2021 military takeover.Published On 18 Jan 2026Mamady Doumbouya, a general who led a 2021 military takeover in Guinea, has been sworn in as the West African country’s president.The Saturday event, which took place in front of tens of thousands of supporters and several heads of state, came after Doumbaya was declared the victor in last month’s election.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Trump pauses immigration from ‘Third World’ countries: What that meanslist 2 of 3Has Benin’s foiled coup made ECOWAS a West African heavyweight once more?list 3 of 3Guinea elections: Who’s running and what’s at stake?end of listThe vote was the first since Doumbouya toppled President Alpha Conde four years ago.Although he initially pledged not to run for president after seizing power, Doumbouya ultimately stood for election against eight other candidates. However, his most prominent opponents remained in exile, with the opposition calling for a boycott of the poll.The West African country’s Supreme Court later said Doumbouya received 86.7 percent of the vote.Dressed in a traditional gown, Doumbouya swore an oath to uphold the constitution – which had recently been altered to allow him to stand – during an hours-long ceremony at the General Lansana Conte Stadium on the outskirts of the capital, Conakry.“I swear before God and before the people of Guinea, on my honour, to respect and faithfully enforce the Constitution, the laws, regulations and judicial decisions,” he said.Heads of state from Rwanda, The Gambia, Senegal and other African countries joined the event, as did the vice presidents of China, Nigeria, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea, as well as officials from France and the United States.Assimi Goita, a general who has led neighbouring Mali since a military takeover in 2020, was also in attendance.