Cameroon’s heavily disputed presidential election is nearing its official conclusion, as the country’s Constitutional Council dismissed all calls for the cancellation of the October 12 poll. Judges on the Council have confirmed they will announce the official result on Monday, October 27th.
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The Council addressed and dismissed eight petitions challenging the election results, citing either insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul the vote. This ruling comes despite major cities being rocked by protests from opposition supporters alleging the poll was marred by widespread irregularities, including ballot-stuffing.
The political tension remains high, fueled by opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 76, who has preemptively declared himself the winner. Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesman who broke ranks with the incumbent, posted a video statement claiming he won with approximately 55% of the vote, based on his party’s unofficial returns representing 80% of the electorate.
The claim has been swiftly rejected by allies of 92-year-old President Paul Biya, who is seeking another seven-year term.
Notably, Tchiroma Bakary refused to file complaints with the Constitutional Council, whose judges are appointed by President Biya. Instead, he chose to bypass the judicial process, declaring himself the “legal and legitimate president” via social media.
President Biya has been in power for 43 years, and his low-key campaign featured only one rally.
CULLED FROM BBC
