Guinea's main opposition parties and civil society organizations called for demonstrations across the country starting September 5, denouncing what they say is a desire to seize power by junta leader General Mamadi Doumbouya, in a statement Sunday evening.

The junta has banned all protests since 2022 and has arrested, prosecuted, or driven into exile a number of opposition leaders.

The Forces vives de Guinée (FVG), a collective bringing together the main opposition parties and civil society organizations, also denounced the holding of a referendum on September 21 called by the head of the junta on a new Constitution.

According to the FVG, this referendum "only aims to validate the draft Constitution which exempts him from his oath and his word of honor, in order to offer himself a presidency for life."

At the end of June, a draft constitution was presented to General Mamadi Doumbouya, who came to power in September 2021 after overthrowing civilian President Alpha Condé.

This text is intended to pave the way for a return to the constitutional order promised by the military. The provisions of this draft Constitution do not explicitly provide any indication of whether General Doumbouya will be able to run in the next presidential election.

"This bill opens the way to a clear violation of the transition charter" and "encourages the commission of perjury," the FVG denounce.

A "transitional charter" established by the junta shortly after the coup requires that no member of the junta, the government, or any head of the transitional institutions stand in the elections.

The adoption of a new Constitution could remove this barrier.

Guinea, ruled for decades by dictatorial or authoritarian regimes, is accustomed to demonstrations that take a violent turn.

The repression of protests there has left at least 47 dead since 2021, according to Amnesty International in a report published in May 2024.