CONAKRY – Polls opened in Guinea on Sunday for a referendum that could allow the leader of the country's junta to run for the presidency and is being closely watched in the coup-battered region.

Citizens of this coastal West African country are casting their ballots in favor or against a new draft constitution, the key step in the country's transition from military rule to civilian rule. Elections are expected to follow in December.

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Guinea is one of a growing number of West African countries, including Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, where the military has taken power and delayed a return to civilian rule. Critics say Sunday's referendum is a way for Gen. Mamadi Doumbouya, who ousted President Alpha Conde in 2021, to seek the presidency and legitimize his militar

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