Cameroon’s main opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has rejected the re-election of 92-year-old President Paul Biya, describing the October 12 presidential poll as “a masquerade” and insisting that he won the election “unequivocally.”
The Constitutional Council on Monday declared Biya, Africa’s oldest serving head of state, winner of the presidential election with 53.7 percent of the vote.
Tchiroma, a former government minister and leader of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FNSC), finished second with 35.2 percent, according to the official results.
Shortly after the announcement, Tchiroma told AFP that the process was manipulated to favour the incumbent, who has been in power for over four decades. “There was no election; it was rather a masquerade. We won unequivocally,” he said.
Tchiroma had earlier claimed victory two days after the polls, citing his party’s independent vote count, which gave him 54.8 percent against Biya’s 31.3 percent. He called on his supporters to defend what he described as “the people’s mandate.”
The opposition leader’s supporters staged demonstrations across several cities despite a ban on public gatherings. In the northern city of Garoua, a rally near his residence turned violent. Tchiroma alleged that two protesters were killed and accused the government of using “excessive force” to silence dissent.
An AFP correspondent confirmed witnessing a man shot by security forces during the protest, though the victim’s death could not be immediately verified. Authorities, however, said four people were killed in similar clashes in Douala, the country’s economic capital.
Regional Governor Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboua confirmed the fatalities, stating that some protesters “attacked security formations,” prompting a forceful response. “Four people, unfortunately, lost their lives while some security agents sustained injuries,” he said.
Security forces were seen stationed at major intersections in Yaounde and other key cities on Monday to prevent further unrest. Shops and fuel stations remained closed as residents stayed indoors in fear of renewed clashes.
Despite mounting opposition and international concerns, Biya is set to begin another seven-year term, extending his 43-year rule in a system critics describe as increasingly autocratic. The 92-year-old leader remains only the second president to rule Cameroon since its independence from France in 1960.
Tchiroma, in his campaign manifesto, promised to initiate a three-to-five-year transition plan aimed at rebuilding the country’s institutions and economy, which he said had been crippled by decades of misrule.
Meanwhile, the voter turnout for the poll stood at 46.3 percent, according to official figures released by the electoral body. Eleven other candidates participated in the race, none of whom secured up to one percent of the total vote.
