YAUNDE, Cameroon (AP) – Cameroon’s opposition candidate Issa Chiloma Bakari declared victory early Tuesday in the Oct. 12 presidential election, making the appeal: President Paul BiyaThe concession comes after he has been in power for more than 40 years.
“Our victory is clear and must be respected,” Ciroma said in a video statement on Facebook, calling on Biya to “accept the truth at the ballot box” or else “plunge the country into chaos.”
Elections Cameroon, the independent body responsible for overseeing the poll, and the Constitutional Court have not yet announced the results. Official results are expected to be announced by October 26th at the latest.
Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement Party rejected Chiloma’s claims on Tuesday.
CPDM Deputy Secretary-General Grégoire Owona said the opposition candidate had not won and the results of the polling stations were not yet known.
Chiroma said he would share a detailed report on regional voting results in the coming days.
Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nzi said last week that only the Constitutional Council could declare a winner, warning that announcing fraudulent results would be considered “high treason.”
The 76-year-old opposition candidate served as government spokesperson and employment minister under Biya, but resigned from government last year to run for president. His campaign drew large audiences and support from opposition coalitions and civil society groups.
Analysts expect Biya, 92, to win. The opposition remains divided and his His strongest rival was banned from running. In August. Eleven opposition candidates participated in the October 12 election.
Mr. Biya is the world’s oldest president. He has been in power since 1982, nearly half of his life, and is Cameroon’s second president since independence from France in 1960.
During Mr. Biya’s decades in power, the central African country of about 30 million people has struggled with challenges from large-scale threats. deadly separatist movement Despite abundant natural resources such as oil and minerals, chronic corruption has hindered development in Western countries.
Approximately 8 million voters are eligible to vote in Cameroon’s elections, and the country uses a one-off election system in which the presidential position is awarded to the candidate who receives the most votes.
In the last presidential election in 2018, opposition leader Maurice Camuto declared victory the day after the vote. He was subsequently arrested, protests erupted, and dozens of supporters were detained.
Villa won with a score of over 70%. Election marred by fraud and low turnout.
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Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.
