Polls close in Cameroon as 92-yr-old Paul Biya eyes another term

Cameroonians voted Sunday successful an predetermination expected to instrumentality 92-year-old Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving caput of state, to bureau aft 43 years successful power.

AFP journalists saw voters crowding extracurricular polling stations during the time successful the superior Yaounde earlier they closed successful the aboriginal evening, with an electoral authoritative declaring the ballot had gone “calmly”.

Biya faced 11 opponents, including erstwhile employment curate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters successful the cardinal African nation, wherever fractional the colonisation is nether 20.

Most of the 8 cardinal Cameroonians who were eligible to ballot successful the one-round predetermination had lone known 1 ruler successful their lifetime.

Biya has been successful powerfulness since 1982 and has won each predetermination successful the past 20 years with much than 70 percent of the vote.

“Nothing is certain. Let’s hold until we cognize the sanction of the elected official,” Biya told reporters aft helium formed his ballot successful the Bastos neighbourhood, adjacent the statesmanlike palace.

Cameroonian governmental idiosyncratic Stephane Akoa told AFP: “We shouldn’t beryllium naive. We cognize afloat good the ruling strategy has ample means astatine its disposal to get results successful its favour.”

But helium said that the run successful caller days had been “much livelier” than was usually the lawsuit astatine that signifier and “this canvass is truthful much apt to propulsion up surprises.”

AFP reporters saw polling stations adjacent astatine 1700 GMT. “Voting passed disconnected calmly,” an authoritative from the nationalist electoral authority, Jean-Alain Andzongo, told AFP astatine a voting presumption successful the capital.

– Youth ballot –

Biya kept his customary debased illustration during the campaign, appearing successful nationalist connected Tuesday for the archetypal clip since May.

He held a rally successful Maroua successful the strategical Far North region, which has 1.2 cardinal eligible voters and makes up the 2nd largest voting bloc successful the country.

For years, it was considered a Biya stronghold but respective erstwhile allies from the country were this clip moving against him.

The 11 rival candidates made galore nationalist appearances, each promising a caller dawn for Cameroon.

In stark opposition to Biya, whose quality attracted a sparse assemblage of conscionable a fewer 100 people, Bakary was welcomed successful the streets of his location portion by thousands of supporters waving placards that hailed “Tchiroma the Saviour”.

Bakary — who resigned from the authorities successful June to articulation the absorption aft 20 years astatine Biya’s broadside — is the starring challenger aft apical hostile Maurice Kamto was barred from the contention by the Constitutional Council.

Rights groups including Human Rights Watch said that determination undermined the credibility of the electoral process.

Biya is lone the 2nd president Cameroon has had since independency from France successful 1960.

Despite an abundance of earthy and cultivation resources, astir 40 percent of the colonisation lives beneath the poorness line, according to World Bank figures for 2024, and unemployment stands astatine 35 percent successful the large cities.

Cameroonians kick astir the precocious outgo of living, a deficiency of cleanable drinking water, healthcare and prime education.

– Youth ballot –

Young radical hunger for change, expert Akoa said, but not yet to the constituent wherever they volition instrumentality the hazard of protesting en masse arsenic successful different countries successful Africa and Asia implicit caller weeks.

“Many young radical mean to vote,” Akoa said. “There is simply a affirmative motion of alteration but possibly not beardown capable to bring young radical retired onto the streets, arsenic we saw successful Madagascar, Tunisia and elsewhere.”

The authorities authorised 55,000 section and planetary observers to show the vote, including representatives of the African Union.

The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to denote the last results.

But respective net platforms said they would compile results independently, drafting disapproval from the government, which said they were attempting to manipulate nationalist opinion.

Vanguard News

The station Polls adjacent successful Cameroon arsenic 92-yr-old Paul Biya eyes different term appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.