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Cameroon is facing rising tensions as citizens nationwide await the official results of the presidential election held on October 12, with the constitutional council expected to announce the outcome next week.
Tensions are rising across the country as citizens gather outside government collation offices, demanding transparency and insisting the final figures reflect the truth.
News Central TV’s correspondent Kathleen Ndongmo reported that the mood on the street is “tense” and, in some areas, “combative.”
Crowds have gathered in major cities, including the economic capital Douala, and western towns like Bafusam, Chang, Bafang, and the Anglophone city of Limbe. Demonstrators are demanding the protection of their votes, particularly in Chang and Douala.
Tensions boiled over yesterday in Chang, where a fire was reportedly set at the ruling CPDM party offices and a courthouse. In Douala, clashes were reported between residents and security forces, who subsequently claimed to have restored control and made arrests in both cities. Citizens are united by a firm resolve, insisting they will defend their ballots this time.
Voters are leveraging citizen-led technology platforms to collate results in real-time and share them across social media. They are referencing Article 113 of Cameroon’s electoral code, which mandates that results obtained at each station shall be made public immediately after counting.
In response, the interior minister publicly rejected early victory claims by opposition candidate Issa Chiroma Bakari, labelling them “unconstitutional” and accusing him of seeking to “disrupt the electoral process.”
Gregoire Owona, the Deputy Secretary General of the ruling CPDM party, also denied that Bakari possessed any official polling results.
Bakari, the main opposition challenger, and other opposition parties remain firm, demanding that his victory be respected.
He urged President Biya to concede or risk plunging the country into turmoil, claiming his team had observers in a high share of the results.
Election observers, including the African Union observation mission, released a statement on October 14, noting that voting closure and counting proceeded with general calm.
However, they also pointed to technical issues and recommended stronger safeguards for future polls.
