Guinea has had four

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

s. The latest constitution was approved by referendum on 19 April 2010 and formally adopted on 7 May. However, it was later dissolved on 5 September 2021, following the 2021 Guinean coup.

Background

A constitutional referendum was held on 28 September 1958 as part of a wider referendum across the

French Union The French Union () was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial empire system, colloquially known as the " French Empire" (). It was the formal end of the "indigenous" () status of French subj ...

(and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

itself) on whether to adopt the new

French constitution The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic , and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946 with the exception of the preamble per a Consti ...

; colonies voting to accept it would become part of the new French Community; if rejected, the territory would be granted independence. More than 95% of voters of

French Guinea French Guinea (french: Guinée française) was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the current independent nation of Guinea. French Guinea was established by France in 1891, ...

voted against the constitution, with a turnout of 85.5%, making it the only colony to vote no.

History

Guinea became an independent nation on 2 October 1958. The first constitution was enacted immediately afterward and was written in some haste. A 15-person commission wrote a draft constitution in 10 days, which was approved by the new national assembly on 10 November 1958 after a mere two hours of debate. However, during the dictatorial reign of the first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré, it was routinely ignored or altered. In 1982, bowing to both international and internal pressure, Guinea adopted a new constitution which included better protections for human rights. After Touré's death in 1984, the government was toppled by a military

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. Another constitutional referendum, held on 23 December 1990, was approved by 98.7% of the voters, paving the way for a third constitution. A 2001 referendum, which was boycotted by the opposition, amended this constitution, removing presidential term limits and lengthening the term from five years to seven. Critics accused then-President

Lansana Conté Lansana Conté (30 November 1934 – 22 December 2008

of seeking to remain in power longer. When Conté died in 2008, Captain

Moussa Dadis Camara Captain Moussa Dadis Camara (; born 1 January 1964), now called Moïse Dadis Camara (),''Le Populaire'', , N°3232, 31 August 2010, p. 2 is an ex-officer of the Guinean army who served as the President of Guinea from 23 December 2008 to 15 Ja ...

seized power in a

, but was shot in the head in December 2010. He left the country to receive medical care and recuperate. He later agreed not to come back, and Guinea returned to civilian rule. The fourth constitution was approved by referendum on 19 April 2010 and formally adopted on 7 May. After the

2021 Guinean coup d'état On 5 September 2021, President of Guinea Alpha Condé was captured by the country's armed forces in a coup d'état after gunfire in the capital, Conakry. Special forces commander Mamady Doumbouya released a broadcast on state television annou ...

, the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

announced that they have dissolved the constitution.

References

External links

Text of the 1958 constitution

Text of the 2010 constitution
translated into English {{Guinea topics Guinea Politics of Guinea