Cameroon’s Opposition Candidate Tchiroma Declares Victory in Presidential Election

 

Cameroon’s opposition challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary is on the verge of making history after declaring victory against incumbent President Paul Biya.

 

Recall that Biya has been in power for 43 years, with official results from Sunday’s vote not expected for two weeks.

 

“Our victory is clear. It must be respected,” Tchiroma declared in a post on Facebook.

 

He urged the government to “accept the truth of the ballot box” or “plunge the country into turmoil” and promised to publish detailed results by region.

 

“The people have chosen,” he added.

 

While the tally sheets are allowed to be published, final official results must be announced by the country’s Constitutional Council — a “red line that must not be crossed”, according to the government.

 

A former government spokesman and ally of Biya for 20 years, Tchiroma was considered the top contender to unseat Biya in Sunday’s elections.

 

After he resigned from the government in June, his campaign drew large crowds and key endorsements from a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups.

 

In the 2018 presidential election, opposition challenger Maurice Kamto declared himself the winner the day after the vote.

 

He was subsequently arrested, and his supporters’ rallies were dispersed with tear gas and water cannon, with dozens arrested.

 

However, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji warned recently that only the Constitutional Council has the authority to announce the winner, and that any unilateral publication of results would be considered “high treason”.

 

Cameroon’s electoral law allows results to be published and posted at individual polling stations, but final tallies must be validated by the Constitutional Council, which has until October 26 to announce the outcome, the Reuters news agency reported.

 

Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is vying for an eighth term to extend his decades in power.