Over 90% of Guineans voted ‘yes’ in a constitutional referendum on a new constitution, widely seen as a step towards elections and the return to civilian rule, according to provisional results announced Monday evening by the electoral body.

The new constitution would lengthen the presidential term from five years to seven, renewable once, and create a Senate, with one-third of senators directly appointed by the president.

Guinea, which is home to the world's largest reserves of bauxite, is expected to hold its presidential election in December after the government missed a 2024 deadline.

The interim leader Mamady Doumbouya, who seized power in a military coup in 2021, has not said yet whether he intends to run for office.

A transition charter adopted by his government after it took power said its members would be barred from standing in the next election.

On Thursday, S&P Global Ratings assigned Guinea its first-ever sovereign rating, B+ with a stable outlook. This makes Guinea the third best-rated economy in West Africa, according to the ratings agency.