Guinean authorities have dissolved 53 political parties and placed 67 others under a three-month observation period, marking an unprecedented move in the country’s political landscape.
The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization announced the action late Monday, stating that the decision was based on an assessment launched in June to “clean up the political scene.”
Guinea, which has been governed by a military regime since President Alpha Conde was overthrown in 2021, is expected to hold elections in 2025 under pressure from the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS, which has called for a return to civilian rule.
Among the parties under observation are the Rally of the Guinean People, Conde’s own party, and the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea, another major opposition group.
Authorities indicated that these parties are under scrutiny for various issues, including failure to hold congresses on time and the absence of bank statements. During the observation period, these parties may continue their operations but must address the irregularities identified in the government’s report.
This latest crackdown on political parties aligns Guinea with a growing number of West African nations, such as Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, where military juntas have seized control and delayed transitions to civilian governance.
Guinea’s leader, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, who took power in a 2021 coup, has resisted external pressure for reform, stating that African nations are “exhausted by the categorisations that everyone wants to pigeonhole us with.” Doumbouya has faced both domestic and international criticism for failing to improve on the promises of his ousted predecessor.
