BAMAKO, Mali

General Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea's incumbent junta leader and candidate for the Generation pour la Modernite et le Developpement (Generation for Modernity and Development, or GMD), has taken commanding leads in the first provisional partial results announced from the Dec. 28 presidential election, dominating in all released districts with scores often exceeding 80%.

The General Directorate of Elections (DGE) fulfilled its pledge to release initial partial provisional results within 24 hours of polling, beginning announcements on Monday.

On Monday, late at night, DGE Director General Djenabou Toure personally presented the figures, which covered 15 electoral districts: six communes in Conakry and nine prefectures in the interior.

Toure also outlined key election statistics: 6,768,450 registered voters were called to the polls across 16,730 voting centers and 23,975 polling stations in 50 electoral districts, comprising 33 prefectures, 13 communes in Conakry, and four overseas constituencies (Africa, Asia, Europe, and America). A provisional turnout of around 85% was reported.

Doumbouya led decisively in the announced areas. Additional partial results are expected on Tuesday, starting at 2 pm local time.

In a notable move, Abdoulaye Kourouma, candidate of the Rassemblement pour la Renaissance et le Developpement (RRD) and a former deputy, conceded defeat on Tuesday.

Speaking at his party headquarters, Kourouma congratulated Doumbouya on a first-round victory, citing parallel counts from his party's delegates covering over 80% of polling stations and Vote Centralization Commissions (CACV).

"We recognize our defeat... and congratulate the GMD candidate, Mr. Mamadi Doumbouya, for his first-round victory based on the results we have," Kourouma said, calling on supporters to prioritize national peace and development.

The Sunday election, the first presidential vote since the Sept. 5, 2021, coup led by then-Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya that deposed President Alpha Conde, pitted nine candidates against each other for a seven-year term under the new constitution.

Doumbouya, head of the National Committee for Rally and Development (CNRD) junta, highlighted infrastructure progress and the recent launch of the massive Simandou iron ore project during his campaign, alongside Guinea's dominant bauxite production.

Major opposition figures were disqualified or their parties suspended, leading to boycott appeals from coalitions like the Forces Vives de Guinee.

Observers from the African Union and ECOWAS were deployed. Final results require Constitutional Court approval, but early tallies suggest Doumbouya is poised for an outright majority.