Cameroon's Presidential Election: A Peaceful but Competitive Process

Cameroon's presidential election on Sunday took place under very acceptable conditions, according to Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) director general Essosse Erik. Polls closed at 6:00 p.m. local time, and nearly 8 million people registered to vote at over 31,000 polling stations. The election saw incumbent President Paul Biya cast his ballot, aiming for an eighth term in office since 1982, while his main rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, voted in the northern town of Garoua. Despite some minor incidents, the voting process was largely peaceful, with voters hoping for peace and prosperity after the election.

Key Takeaways:

• Cameroonian Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji warned against falsifying election results, stating that those responsible would face the law, regardless of their political or social status.
• Intelligence services identified a "platform" that intended to publish "fake" election results, which the government promised to put an end to.
• ELECAM's director general, Essosse Erik, emphasized that the election results would be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council within 15 days after the polls closed.
• Polling took place under high security, with additional troops deployed in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, where separatist groups threatened to disrupt the election.
• The election was marked by minor incidents, including protests in Garoua following rumors that Tchiroma had been placed under house arrest.
• Over 8 million people registered to vote, with 12 candidates initially confirmed but reduced to 10 after opposition candidates formed a coalition with Biya's former ally Bello Bouba Maigari.

Statistics:

• 8,000,000 people registered to vote.
• 31,000 polling stations were used.
• Polling took place over a period of 10 hours, from 8:00 a.m. local time to 6:00 p.m. local time.
• The Constitutional Council has 15 days to proclaim the election results after the polls closed.
• Paul Biya has been in office since 1982, and this is his eighth attempt to be re-elected as president.

Sources:

• Xinhua via COMTEX
• Elections Cameroon (ELECAM)
• Cameroon's Electoral Code