Cameroon opposition candidate claims victory in presidential poll, asks Biya to concede

Cameroon’s opposition challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary on Tuesday claimed election victory against incumbent President Paul Biya, who has been in power for 43 years, with official results from Sunday’s vote not expected for two weeks.

“Our victory is clear. It must be respected,” Tchiroma declared in a post on Facebook, calling on the government to “accept the truth of the ballot box” or “plunge the country into turmoil”, and promising to publish detailed results by region.

“The people have chosen,” he added.

While the tally sheets are allowed to be published, final results must be announced by the country’s Constitutional Council — a “red line that must not be crossed”, according to the government.

In the 2018 presidential election, opposition challenger Maurice Kamto declared himself winner the day after the vote.

He was subsequently arrested and his supporters’ rallies were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons, with dozens arrested.

Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is vying to extend his decades in power.

But former employment minister Tchiroma generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters in the central African nation, and a duel had been emerging, with supporters on both sides claiming victory.

Images of sheets and blackboards tallying the results have circulated on social media, fuelling the victory claims among both Biya and Tchiroma’s camps.

AFP