Gambiaj.com – (CONAKRY, Guinea) – The General Directorate of Elections (DGE) in Guinea has set the deposit required for candidates in the upcoming December 28, 2025, presidential election at 900 million Guinean francs (approximately $103,875), according to an official decision released Tuesday in Conakry.
The directive, signed by Ms. Djénabou Touré, head of the DGE, outlines strict financial rules governing the next presidential race—the first since the country’s ongoing transition.
Under Article 275 of the Electoral Code, candidates must deposit the required amount with the Public Treasury no later than 50 days before election day, through an account opened at the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea (BCRG).
In addition to the deposit, the DGE set a campaign spending cap of 40 billion Guinean francs (about $4.6 million) per candidate. Expenditures beyond this ceiling will be considered a legal violation and may attract sanctions.
Each candidate is also required to open a campaign account with an approved bank and establish a designated electoral fund to ensure transparency in campaign financing.
Observers have welcomed the move as a step toward financial accountability and transparency, though some political analysts warn that the high deposit could disadvantage smaller parties and independent contenders.
Meanwhile, the Union of Republican Forces (UFR) has confirmed that its founder and historic leader, Sidya Touré, will be its sole candidate for the presidential race.
“The UFR has and will have only one candidate: Sidya Touré, our president, for the well-being and development of Guinea,” declared Boubacar Baldé, the party’s vice-president, during its weekly general assembly at the UFR headquarters in La Minière.
Touré, a former Prime Minister, has been living in exile in Abidjan after being forced to leave the country. His absence from the last electoral census means his name is not currently on the voter register, posing a major challenge to the feasibility of his candidacy.
The UFR, recently authorized by the ruling junta to resume political activities, has nevertheless begun mobilizing its members and reviving its structures nationwide. Touré’s potential return and candidacy are expected to depend on administrative clearance from the DGE.
As the electoral process gathers pace, the biggest unanswered question remains whether transitional leader Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya will enter the race.
Calls from senior government officials and several political movements for him to contest have intensified, though no official announcement has been made.
The December 28 vote is widely seen as a critical milestone in Guinea’s political transition, marking a potential return to constitutional order after years of turbulence.
