Factbox-Opposition candidates in Guinea’s post-coup presidential election

Dec 22 (Reuters) – Here are details of the challengers to Guinea junta leader Mamady Doumbouya in Sunday’s presidential election, the first since he seized power in a 2021 coup.

ABDOULAYE YERO BALDE

Balde, 60, leads the Democratic Front of Guinea (FRONDEG) party.

An economist with degrees from the Sorbonne and Columbia University, he quit Alpha Conde’s party in 2020 to oppose his bid for a third term. Conde won that election but was ousted in the 2021 coup and now lives in exile.

Balde is a former central bank vice-governor and minister of higher education.

He is a member of the Fulani ethnic group, Guinea’s largest, like exiled opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who is also in exile and not contesting the election.

Balde is considered a strong contender who could capture a significant share of the opposition vote.

FAYA LANSANA MILLIMONO

The standard-bearer for the Liberal Bloc party, Millimono, 63, initially backed Doumbouya’s junta, straining ties with more established parties like Diallo’s Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG) and Conde’s Rally of the Guinean People (RPG).

He later turned critic, and toughened his stance when Doumbouya signaled he would renege on his promise not to run in the election. 

Millimono ran in the 2015 presidential election, winning around 1.4% of the vote against Conde. He holds a PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Montreal.

IBRAHIMA ABE SYLLA

Sylla, 74, was a member of parliament before the 2021 coup, when the National Assembly was dissolved. He was named energy minister under Doumbouya, though he is no longer in that role.

Sylla and his New Generation for the Republic (NGR) party have broad support among young people in the Basse-Guinee coastal region that includes the capital Conakry. 

He has lived and studied in the United States.

HADJA MAKALE CAMARA

Camara, 69, is the only woman contesting the presidency. She is president of the Front for National Alliance (FAN) and served as foreign affairs minister under Conde in 2016 and 2017.

A lawyer by training, Camara is running for president for the second time. In 2020, she won about 0.7% of the vote.

ABDOULAYE KOUROUMA

The youngest candidate on the ballot, Kourouma, 42, is an economist who studied in Russia.

Leader of the Rally for Renaissance and Development (RRD) party, he was a lawmaker before the coup. He won around 0.5% of the vote in the 2020 vote but was nonetheless close to Conde.

MOHAMED NABE

Nabe, 53, is a relative political newcomer who trained as an economist at the London School of Economics and was formerly sales director of a major cement production company in Guinea.

He is leader of the Alliance for Renewal and Progress (ARP).

BOUNA KEITA

A self-made diamond merchant and the leader of the Rally for a Prosperous Guinea (RGP) party, Keita, 72, is running for the second time, after garnering about 0.8% of the vote in 2010. He is not seen as a serious contender.

MOHAMED CHERIF HAIDARA

Haidara, 72, is the only independent candidate apart from Doumbouya. He remains virtually unknown in this campaign. 

(Reporting by Guinea newsroom; Editing by Portia Crowe, Robbie Corey-Boulet and Ros Russell)

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