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Cameroon’s opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has rejected Biya’s victory, at the polls, saying that “there was no election; it was rather a masquerade. We won unequivocally.”
Cameroon’s long-serving leader, Paul Biya, 92, has extended his rule for over 40 years, winning an eighth term in the presidential elections, as announced by the Constitutional Council on Monday.
According to the council’s official results, Biya received 53.7 per cent of the votes, while his opponent, former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, garnered 35.2 per cent. Cabral Libii finished third with 3.4 per cent of the votes, followed by Bello Bouba Maigari with 2.5 per cent, and Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, the lone female candidate, receiving 1.7 per cent. The remaining eight candidates collectively attracted less than one per cent of the votes.
Two days after the election, Tchiroma claimed he had defeated the incumbent and called for protests. A rally that took place outside his residence in Garoua turned deadly, with Tchiroma saying that two demonstrators were killed and that around ten snipers were situated on nearby rooftops.
On Sunday, in incidents involving security forces and opposition supporters in Douala, four individuals were reported killed, as stated by the governor of the region. Initially, security personnel used tear gas before resorting to “live ammunition,” according to accounts from demonstrators reported to AFP.
Voter participation was reported at 46.3 per cent, based on the official results revealed 15 days following the election.
Since polling day, public gatherings have been prohibited, and traffic has faced restrictions in most large cities across the country. However, last week, Tchiroma’s supporters took to the streets to uphold his claim of winning.
Quoting his own calculations, he declared that he secured 54.8 per cent of the votes compared to Biya’s 31.3 per cent.
Tchiroma reiterated his confidence in having won in a speech delivered last Wednesday, urging Cameroonians to protest if the Constitutional Council announced “falsified and distorted results.”
Starting early Monday, police and security personnel were deployed at major intersections and sensitive locations throughout Yaounde, the capital.
Law enforcement said their goal was to “ensure the security of the electoral process and prevent any disturbances.”
Many businesses and gas stations were closed due to fears of unrest, resulting in unusually low traffic.
Most analysts had expected that Biya would clinch another seven-year term in a system that critics argue is rigged.
Biya is only the second leader of Cameroon since gaining independence from France in 1960. He has maintained a tight grip on power, suppressing all political dissent and armed resistance, despite facing social turmoil, economic disparity, and insurgency.
