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Guinea has had four constitutions.[1] The latest constitution was approved by referendum on 19 April 2010 and formally adopted on 7 May.[2] However, it was later dissolved on 5 September 2021, following the 2021 Guinean coup.[3]
Aconstitutional referendum was held on 28 September 1958 as part of a wider referendum across the French Union (and France itself) on whether to adopt the new French constitution; colonies voting to accept it would become part of the new French Community; if rejected, the territory would be granted independence.[4][5] More than 95% of voters of French Guinea voted against the constitution, with a turnout of 85.5%,[6] making it the only colony to vote no.[7]
Guinea became an independent nation on 2 October 1958. The first constitution was enacted immediately afterward[4] and was written in some haste.[8] 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.[8] However, during the dictatorial reign of the first president, Ahmed Sékou Touré, it was routinely ignored or altered.[4]
In 1982, bowing to both international and internal pressure, Guinea adopted a new constitution which included better protections for human rights.[8] After Touré's death in 1984, the government was toppled by a military coup d'état. Another constitutional referendum, held on 23 December 1990, was approved by 98.7% of the voters, paving the way for a third constitution.[9]
A2001 referendum, which was boycotted by the opposition, amended this constitution, removing presidential term limits and lengthening the term from five years to seven.[10] Critics accused then-President Lansana Conté of seeking to remain in power longer.[10]
When Conté died in 2008, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara seized power in a coup d'état, but was shot in the head in December 2010.[10] He left the country to receive medical care and recuperate.[10] He later agreed not to come back, and Guinea returned to civilian rule.[10]
The fourth constitution was approved by referendum on 19 April 2010 and formally adopted on 7 May.[11]
After the 2021 Guinean coup d'état, the military announced that they have dissolved the constitution.[12]
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Constitutions of Africa
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