The military commander who has ruled Guinea since a coup four years ago has entered the presidential race, breaking an earlier promise to hand power to a civilian government.
Col Mamadi Doumbouya submitted his candidacy at the Supreme Court on Monday, flanked by soldiers and wearing black sunglasses. He did not make any public comment.
Two of Guinea's biggest opposition parties - RPG Arc en Ciel and UFDG - have been excluded from December's contest, raising concerns about the election's credibility.
Guineans had reacted with shock last month when it was announced that presidential candidates would need to pay a deposit of 875m Guinean francs ($100,000; £75,000) to contest the election. While the previous deposit was almost as high - 800m francs - some analysts had hoped it would be reduced to encourage more people to stand in these historic elections.
Four years ago, Col Doumbouya had pledged to hand power back to civilians, saying, Neither I nor any member of this transition will be a candidate for anything... As soldiers, we value our word very much.
The election will be conducted under a new constitution that permits Col Doumbouya to run for presidency. During his rule, Guinean authorities have cracked down on peaceful dissent, restricting internet access, suspending media outlets, and brutally suppressing demonstrations. Doumbouya justified the original coup, claiming it was in response to rampant corruption, disregard for human rights, and economic mismanagement under former President Alpha Condé.
Aged 40, Doumbouya is the youngest African head of state. His candidacy comes at a time when prominent political figures such as ex-President Condé and former Prime Ministers Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Touré are living abroad, further complicating the election landscape.
