Guinea’s military ruler has been elected president following a 2021 coup, solidifying his power in the key global mining hub.
Rights groups and domestic critics argue that Mamady Doumbouya has steadily stifled dissent in the African nation, making the official election tally a foregone conclusion — he won more than 85% of the vote.
Analysts told The New York Times, however, that while more than half the country’s population lives in poverty, Doumbouya enjoys considerable popularity in large part because of progress on key mining projects: Guinea holds the world’s biggest bauxite reserves, and last month opened what is projected to be one of the world’s biggest iron ore mines.