GUINEA – In a move aimed at ensuring security in the Sunday Dec. 28 presidential elections, Guinea have temporarily closed its borders and imposed a nationwide vehicle movement curb.

A government decree, issued Saturday by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, details measures to protect voters, candidates, electoral staff, and materials on polling day Sunday in the West African country.

All land and maritime borders will remain closed for 24 hours until midnight following voting, while the country’s airspace will be closed from 5 am (0500GMT) to 8 pm local time.

From 6 am to 6 pm on Sunday, unauthorized gatherings near polling stations, the carrying of weapons – including legally owned firearms – and any activities deemed likely to disrupt public order will be prohibited.

Vehicle movement nationwide, including cars and motorcycles, will also be banned during those hours. Exemptions will apply to security forces, electoral officials, the national observation body ONASUR, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles. Exceptional permits may be issued in cases of justified need.

The restrictions come as more than 6.7 million registered voters prepare to choose among nine candidates, including transitional President Gen. Mamady Doumbouya, in the country’s first election since the 2021 military takeover.

Local authorities and security forces have been tasked with enforcing the measures, with violations subject to legal penalties.

The vote marks the formal end of a four-year transition following Doumbouya’s coup that ousted President Alpha Conde. A new constitution approved in September cleared the way for Doumbouya to run, despite earlier pledges not to seek the presidency.

Several leading opposition figures, including former Prime Minister Cellou Dalein Diallo, are either barred from running or living in exile, prompting criticism of the electoral process.

International observers, including delegations from the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), are monitoring the vote, with preliminary assessments expected in the coming days.