Gambiaj.com – (CONAKRY, Guinea) – Guinea’s main opposition leader, Cellou Dalein Diallo, has rejected the legitimacy of the December 28 presidential election, describing it as “a prolongation of the state of exception” rather than a return to constitutional order, and accusing the ruling military authorities of confiscating power through repression and manipulation.
Speaking in an interview with Radio France Internationale (RFI), the president of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) said the vote lacked credibility, arguing that Guineans largely boycotted both the constitutional referendum and the presidential election despite official claims of high turnout.
“There was no freedom, no democracy,” Diallo said. “For both the referendum and the presidential election, there was no vote. It was a masquerade. The Guineans did not turn out, even if figures were proclaimed that have nothing to do with reality.”
‘A Masquerade, Not an Election’
Diallo, a former prime minister who has lived in exile in Abidjan for the past three years, said the election did not mark an end to the transition led by President Mamadi Doumbouya but instead extended an exceptional regime that continues to restrict political freedoms and violate human rights.
Responding to President Doumbouya’s post-election call for national unity and dialogue, Diallo said he has always supported political dialogue, but only if it leads to a genuine restoration of constitutional rule.
“I am open to dialogue if it is about an effective return to constitutional order, restoring public freedoms, and ensuring better protection of human rights,” he said. “But that is not the reality today.”
Diallo dismissed government assertions that voter turnout exceeded 80 percent nationwide, including in UFDG strongholds. He claimed participation did not reach 30 percent anywhere in the country and was below 20 percent in Labé, a traditional support base of his party.
According to him, the low turnout reflected adherence to a boycott call issued by the Forces Vives, a coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups.
Exile, Repression, and Threat of Party Dissolution
The opposition leader also rejected accusations that his failure to register on the electoral roll was his own fault. Government officials have argued that Diallo should have returned to Guinea to register, since his official residence is in Conakry. Diallo said returning would have put his life at risk, citing what he described as a climate of repression.
He pointed to the disappearance of civil society activists Foniké Menguè and Billo Bah, the detention of journalist Marouane Camara, and the death of General Sadiba Koulibaly, whom he said was tortured for advocating a swift return to civilian rule.
“With a voice like mine, I was considered an enemy to be eliminated, or at least excluded from the electoral process,” Diallo said.
The UFDG is now facing the threat of dissolution if it fails to hold a party congress by May 2026, following a warning from the minister of territorial administration. Diallo said the authorities had repeatedly prevented the party from holding its congress, only to later accuse it of non-compliance.
“It is political,” he said. “Each time we met the conditions to hold the congress, they banned it. Then they suspend us because we did not hold it, even though they were the ones who stopped us.”
Despite the possibility of his party being dissolved and a prolonged exile, Diallo said he remains determined to continue the struggle through legal and peaceful means. He argued that the regime lacks popular legitimacy and is increasingly isolated.
“The so-called election of December 28 is a new transition,” he said. “It is not a return to constitutional order. It is the continuation of an exceptional period. This climate of terror cannot last forever.”
