Keypoints:
- Tchiroma contests official result
- Security tight across Yaounde
- Shops close amid unrest fears
CAMEROON’S tense post-election atmosphere deepened on Monday as opposition presidential challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary rejected official results naming President Paul Biya the winner of the October 12 vote. The Constitutional Council confirmed Biya’s victory for an eighth term, extending more than four decades in office. The announcementreinforced long-standing concerns over political continuity in the Central African state.
Official results showed the 92-year-old incumbent securing 53.7 percent of the vote. Tchiroma, a former government minister, placed second with 35.2 percent. The Council’s proclamation cements Biya’s status as the world’s oldest serving head of state.
Tchiroma swiftly disputed the figures, claiming his campaign’s own tally gave him 54.8 percent compared with Biya’s 31.3 percent. He offered no documentation to substantiate those claims but told journalists: ‘We won unequivocally.’
Claims of fraud intensify
Two days after polls closed, Tchiroma prematurely declared victory and urged his supporters to mobilise. His increasingly assertive rhetoric has intensified anxieties across several northern regions. Outside his residence in the city of Garoua, crowds gathered under the watchful eye of local security forces.
Election officials reported voter turnout at 46.3 percent, a modest figure that will likely feed debate over participation, legitimacy and public confidence in the electoral institution.
Reformist candidate Cabral Libii finished third with 3.4 percent. Veteran Bello Bouba Maigari followed with 2.5 percent, while Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya — the election’s only female contender — won 1.7 percent. The remaining eight candidates failed to surpass 1 percent.
Heavy police deployment in capital
From dawn on Monday, residents of Yaounde witnessed an unusually heavy deployment of police and paramilitary officers at major intersections, public buildings and transport hubs. Security officials said the measures aimed to ‘ensure the security of the electoral process and prevent any unrest’.
Local businesses responded cautiously. Many petrol stations, shops and cafés remained shuttered over fears of clashes. The usually congested city centre was quieter than normal, with light traffic and thin crowds.
Conversations across the capital revealed mixed views. Younger voters expressed frustration at persistent unemployment and limited political renewal. Others argued that demonstrations risk harming economic stability.
Biya’s long tenure persists
Biya has governed Cameroon since 1982, making him only the second person to lead the country since independence from France in 1960. Critics say his tenure has weakened institutions, entrenched patronage and slowed democratic reform. Supporters counter that continuity has insulated Cameroon from regional turbulence.
With the Constitutional Council’s proclamation now formalised, the opposition’s path appears uncertain. Analysts warn that leadership decisions in the coming days will determine whether discontent spills into wider unrest — or diffuses quietly through courts and political channels.
International observers are monitoring developments closely, while civil society groups have urged restraint from all sides.
