Guinean presidency says political transition will not end on December 31

Conakry: The date of December 31, 2024, will not mark the end of the transition that began in Guinea after the army seized power on September 5, 2021, Amara Camara, secretary general of the Guinean presidency, said Thursday.

Camara told a press conference here that the "dynamic compromise" reached with the member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) consists of "readjusting the transition schedule at each stage."

"At each stage reached, we will sit down with ECOWAS to reassess and make readjustments," Camara said, Xinhua news agency reported.

He noted that the elections that are supposed to end the transition must be organized in peace, social tranquility, and harmony. "We will compete to ensure that this peace is guaranteed so that today's transition process is not interrupted."

Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, the government spokesperson, said the Guinean government intends to organize a referendum "before the end of this year to provide the country with a constitution" as a prelude to organizing the elections.

In an interview on March 12, Prime Minister Bah Oury estimated that there was still "a lot to do" to complete the transition schedule, and he thought that 2025 was "a good time to crown the whole process."

The National Committee of Reconciliation and Development, the ruling military junta of Guinea, announced as soon as it took office on September 5, 2021, that it would hand over power on December 31, 2024.