Guinea Dissolves 40 Political Parties by Decree

Guinea’s government has dissolved 40 political parties, including the country’s three largest opposition groups, in a decree that critics say consolidates power under President Mamady Doumbouya and deepens concerns about democratic backsliding.

The decree, issued late on Friday by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, stripped the parties of their legal status and prohibited the use of their names, logos and emblems. Authorities also froze the parties’ assets and appointed a government curator to oversee the transfer of their holdings.

Among the most prominent groups affected were the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), the Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) - the party of former president Alpha Condé - and the Union of Republican Forces (UFR) led by opposition figure Sidya Touré.

The three main parties had already been suspended in August of the previous year, shortly before a constitutional referendum that enabled Doumbouya to run in the December presidential election.

Doumbouya first came to power following a military coup in 2021. He later secured the presidency in the December vote, an election in which all major opposition leaders were barred from running.

Opposition leaders now argue the dissolution represents the dismantling of organized political opposition in the country.

Cellou Dalein Diallo, leader of the UFDG, accused Doumbouya of seeking to consolidate authority by eliminating rival political structures.

Speaking from exile in a video posted on Sunday, Diallo said the decision was part of a deliberate effort to establish a “party-state.”

“I urge the leaders, activists and supporters of the UFDG, and all Guineans who cherish liberty and justice, to rise as one and use every means to bring an end to this exceptional regime that has lasted far too long,” he said.

Diallo added that political dialogue and legal mechanisms had been exhausted as avenues for change.

Other pro-democracy figures echoed those concerns. Ibrahima Diallo, a leader of the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution, said the decision had effectively entrenched authoritarian rule.

He warned that the decree had “formalised a dictatorship” and left the country facing “profound uncertainty.”

The dissolution of the parties comes amid a broader crackdown on dissent under Doumbouya’s administration.

Since taking power in 2021, the government has shut down media outlets, banned political protests, and arrested or forced into exile numerous opposition leaders and civil society activists.

The decision to dissolve political parties marks one of the most sweeping measures taken against opposition forces since the coup.