Guinea swears in junta chief as interim president

KIGALI, Rwanda

The head of the military junta that took control of Guinea last month was sworn in on Friday as the country's new interim president.

During the ceremony at the Mohammed V Palace in the capital Conakry, Col. Mamadi Doumbouya pledged to ensure an independent judiciary that he said would be "imperative for the credibility of the state and restoration of public confidence."

Doumbouya, who was sworn into office by Supreme Court chief Mamadou Sylla, is expected to appoint a transitional prime minister followed by the establishment of a National Transitional Council. After overthrowing former President Alpha Conde in a Sept. 5 coup, he promised to steer the West African country back to civilian rule.

In his inauguration speech, Doumbouya reiterated a vow that no member of the post-coup government -- including himself -- would stand in either national or local elections to be organized at the end of the transitional period, as stipulated in the "Transition Charter" unveiled early this week.

The charter outlines a series of tasks, including the drafting of a new constitution and the holding of elections, but does not define a time limit to the transitional period.

Conde, 83, had become Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

Last year, he had pushed through constitutional changes that allowed him to run for a controversial third term, which he won in an election dismissed as a sham by the opposition.

Mass demonstrations, in which dozens of protesters were reported killed, erupted after the vote.

Donning a beige dress uniform, red beret, and dark glasses, Doumbouya also vowed to "loyally preserve national sovereignty and to consolidate democratic achievements, guarantee the independence of the fatherland, and the integrity of the national territory."

Until the coup, the 41-year-old colonel had been the head of the military's special forces unit set up in 2018.

He had formerly been a member of the French Foreign Legion and has more than 15 years of military experience, particularly in operational missions in Afghanistan, the Ivory Coast, Djibouti, the Central African Republic, and Israel, among others.

Analysts have told Anadolu Agency that Doumbouya had to take an oath pledging to keep the commitments set out in the transition charter.

"While it may sound absurd, there's no way he could have assumed the Presidency without being sworn in to legitimize his presidency. Even Idi Amin of Uganda was sworn in after the military coup of Jan. 25, 1971. There are many examples you can get," said Oscar Kimanuka, a Kigali-based political analyst.

In a show of solidarity, the ceremony was attended by opposition parties in the country, but largely shunned by international and regional partners, including the EU, US, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) regional bloc.

Officials of the National Alliance for Democratic Alternation (ANAD) opposition party attended the ceremony, including its leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, as did officials of the Guinean People's Assembly (RPG), the party that brought Conde to power.

Diallo has indicated that the National Rallying Committee for Development (CNRD), one of the bodies set up by the junta to lead the transition to civil rule, could count on ANAD's support in its effort to build a peaceful democracy in Guinea, which has experienced two military coups in 11 years. The CNRD will be headed by Doumbouya, who will also serve as the head of state and chief of the armed forces.

ECOWAS, meanwhile, has suspended Guinea’s membership, and directed the junta to "ensure the conduct of presidential and legislative elections within six months in order to restore constitutional rule."

The transition charter has indicated that the duration of the process will be determined by "joint agreement among the living forces of the nation" and the CNRD. During this time, an 81-member legislative body called the National Transition Council (CNT), will have the task of drafting a new constitution.