Cameroon's Election Unrest: Protests and Arrests in the Wake of a Highly Contested Vote

Tensions have been building in Cameroon since the Sunday vote that pitted the 92-year-old incumbent, President Paul Biya, against Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 76, a former senior member of Mr. Biya's government. The election has been marred by widespread allegations of irregularities, including manipulation of records, casting of fake ballots and in some instances, counting votes in secret. Dozens of protesters claiming fraud have been arrested since a fire broke out on Wednesday in an office of the governing party. The exact number of protesters arrested was not clear on Thursday.

Key Takeaways:

• The election in Cameroon has been widely criticized for irregularities, with some instances of ballot stuffing and manipulation of records.
• The main opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, claimed a "landslide victory" and called on President Paul Biya to concede, but the governing party and the electoral commission rejected his claim.
• Protests have broken out in at least half a dozen cities and towns since the vote, including in parts of the capital, Yaoundé, and Douala, the commercial hub.
• The fire at the governing party's office was set on Wednesday night, and photographs and videos of the blazing building were shared widely on TikTok and other social media.
• Analysts say the election has been the closest of President Biya's presidency, which dates to 1982.
• Young people in particular have taken to social media to accuse the government of electoral fraud, highlighting examples of ballot tallies that appeared to show more votes than the number of people registered at one polling station.
• A human rights lawyer from the southwest region, Nkongho Felix Agbor, stated that polling figures in the crisis-plagued region showed that ballot stuffing had occurred.
• In Buea, only 16,000 of more 59,000 registered voters cast ballots, compared with Muyuka, a town considered more severely affected by years of strife, which recorded a turnout of more than 11,000 of its 19,000 registered voters.

Statistics:

• The election has been marked by widespread allegations of irregularities, with some instances of ballot stuffing and manipulation of records.
• The main opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, claimed a "landslide victory", although the governing party and the electoral commission rejected his claim.
• Protests have been reported in at least half a dozen cities and towns since the vote.
• 16,000 of 59,000 registered voters in Buea cast ballots.
• 11,000 of 19,000 registered voters in Muyuka cast ballots.
• The final results of the election are expected to be certified and announced by the Constitutional Council within 15 days.

Sources:

• Cameroonian news media
• A local court
• TikTok and other social media platforms
• Reuters
• Associated Press
• Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights lawyer from the southwest region.