3 weeks ago
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Cameroonian erstwhile minister-turned-opposition challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed predetermination triumph connected Tuesday against incumbent President Paul Biya, who has been successful powerfulness for 43 years, though authoritative results for the play ballot are not expected for 2 weeks.
Biya, aged 92, the world’s oldest serving caput of state, is vying for an eighth word to widen his decades successful power.
But erstwhile employment curate 79-year-old Tchiroma generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters successful the cardinal African nation.
Supporters connected some sides are claiming triumph based connected images circulating connected societal media of blackboards and papers tallying the results.
“Our triumph is clear. It indispensable beryllium respected,” Tchiroma, who until June was portion of the government, declared successful a video connected Facebook connected Tuesday.
He urged the authorities to “accept the information of the ballot box” oregon “plunge the state into turmoil”.
“The radical person chosen,” helium said, promising to people elaborate predetermination results, portion by region.
While it is permitted to people tally sheets from idiosyncratic polling stations, it is amerciable to denote the wide effect of the ballot earlier the Constitutional Council.
“This is the reddish enactment that indispensable not beryllium crossed”, Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji told a property league precocious connected Sunday.
The authorities person not announced the turnout oregon the nonstop day erstwhile the authoritative result of the predetermination volition beryllium declared, different than that it is owed by October 26.
The hold has fuelled fears of fraud successful favour of Biya, who has been successful powerfulness since 1982 and has won each predetermination successful the past 20 years with much than 70 percent of the vote.
In the 2018 statesmanlike election, absorption challenger Maurice Kamto declared himself victor the time aft the vote.
He was subsequently arrested. His supporters’ rallies were dispersed with teardrop state and h2o cannon and dozens were detained. Some are inactive successful jail.
– ‘Clear message’ –
In his Facebook video, which lasted astir 5 minutes, an affectional Tchiroma said helium had achieved a “crushing victory”, which helium said represented “a wide connection of authorisation for the existent authorities and a ballot for contiguous change”.
Biya faced 11 opponents, including Tchiroma, who resigned from the authorities successful June to articulation the absorption aft 20 years astatine Biya’s side.
As the campaigner for the Union for Change 2025 — a conjugation of number absorption parties and civilian nine groups — helium became the starring challenger aft Kamto was barred from lasting by the Constitutional Council.
Tchiroma drew respective 1000 radical to his run rallies crossed the country, wherever 4 successful 10 radical were surviving beneath the poorness enactment successful 2024, according to the World Bank.
Cameroonian governmental idiosyncratic Stephane Akoa told AFP earlier the ballot that the run had been “much livelier than usual” and the ballot was “therefore much apt to propulsion up surprises”.
At the adjacent of polling connected Sunday evening, supporters successful a territory of the superior Yaounde known arsenic a Tchiroma stronghold, chanted “Goodbye Paul Biya. Tchiroma is coming.”
Biya is lone the 2nd caput of authorities to pb Cameroon since independency from France successful 1960.
He has ruled with an robust fist, repressing each governmental and equipped opposition, and holding onto powerfulness done societal upheaval, economical disparity and separatist violence.
Tchiroma’s predetermination manifesto promised a modulation play of 3 to 5 years to rebuild the country, which helium said Biya had destroyed.
AFP
The station Cameroon absorption campaigner Tchiroma declares triumph successful statesmanlike vote appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.
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