CONAKRY, SEPT 28 (AFP/APP/DNA): Guinea’s presidential election will be held on December 28, the presidency of the junta-ruled country announced in a decree read out on state television Saturday.

The announcement came a day after the Supreme Court confirmed the result of a referendum to approve a new constitution, paving the way for the elections.

Opposition parties had called on voters to boycott the referendum that was held September 21, accusing General Mamady Doumbouya of using it to stay in power.

But the Supreme Court rejected a request they filed Friday for its result to be annulled.

The signs suggest that Doumbouya will run for the presidency, despite an earlier promise that he would not.

Guinea, an impoverished nation in west Africa, has long been blighted by coups and violence from authoritarian regimes.

When the military toppled president Alpha Conde in 2021, it initially said it would return the country to civilian rule by 2024, before reneging on that commitment.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk called on Thursday for the military regime to lift bans on opposition parties and media outlets.

He also criticised what he said was a broader assault on fundamental rights in Guinea since the coup, referring to a rise in arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances.