France, Dec. 31 -- Doumbouya, 41, secured just under 87 percent of the vote in the first round, comfortably above the threshold required to avoid a run-off, the General Directorate of Elections said on Tuesday.

Turnout was put at almost 81 percent, a figure that suggests strong participation despite calls from parts of the opposition to stay away from the polls.

The general faced eight rivals in the weekend vote, but Guinea's most prominent opposition leaders were barred from standing under new constitutional rules and had urged supporters to boycott what they described as a foregone conclusion.

Early results showed Doumbouya winning decisively across much of the country. In some districts of the capital, Conakry, he took more than 80 ...