CONAKRY (Reuters) -Guinea holds a long-awaited referendum on Sunday on a new constitution that could permit coup leader Mamady Doumbouya to run for president if he chose to, something he vowed not to do when he seized power in 2021.

The military-led government in Guinea, which is home to the world’s largest reserves of bauxite, already missed a December 31, 2024 deadline it had set itself for a return to civilian rule. Its presidential election is currently expected to take place in December.

Critics fear the constitutional referendum is the latest attempt by a military-run government to legitimise its rule in West and Central Africa, where eight coups between 2020 and 2023 reshaped the regional political landscape.

While the referendum is seen as a step towards elections and the return

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