Youth Disillusionment, Media Shape Cameroon Election

Voting began on Sunday across Cameroon in a tense presidential election that could see 92-year-old Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, extend his 43-year rule. Biya faces 11 challengers, including 79-year-old former employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who has drawn unexpected enthusiasm among the country’s largely youthful population, half of whom are under 20.

Reporting live from Cameroon, News Central Correspondent, Kathleen Ndongmo, offered insights into the mood and build-up to the polls.

She observed that “there’s been a lot of campaigns that have been differentiated in this particular election. It started with candidates who went to the Electoral Commission for registration, and we know that one of the most popular candidates was ultimately barred.”

According to Ndongmo, that incident “immediately set the tone for the level of transparency and credibility that would occur in this election.”

Ndongmo said the disqualification of a major contender had dampened enthusiasm among many young voters. “A lot of young people who had thought that they had a firm choice during this election then began to feel quite disillusioned,” she reported.

Despite this, she added, campaign strategies adapted to the times, relying heavily on direct voter contact and social media outreach. “Most of the campaign happened door-to-door,” she said, noting that other methods included “influencers, social media campaigns, and marketing across the platforms.”

With platforms like Facebook and TikTok central to modern political engagement, Ndongmo explained that “most of these campaigns have happened along the lines and alongside influencers who have carried the flag for what they believe to be candidates that can represent them well.”

As the race narrows among 13 candidates, she said that toward the end of the campaign, “one of the candidates began to stand out as the best alternative according to what voters have told us they want — the change they want to see.”

Many Cameroonians, she added, are expressing frustration with the political status quo, describing their choices as “a sentiment of the devil and the deep blue sea.”

Still, she quoted some voters as saying they “would rather have anything but what is currently being seen as the ruling party.”

With decades of political dominance at stake, today’s election is seen as a test of both Biya’s enduring grip on power and the appetite for change among a new generation of Cameroonians seeking a more transparent and responsive government.