Judges in Cameroon have dismissed calls for the partial or total cancellation of the heavily disputed presidential election, announcing that the official results will be declared on Monday.
Major cities across the nation have witnessed protests as opposition supporters claim that the October 12 poll was marred by irregularities, including allegations of ballot-stuffing.
The Constitutional Council judges rejected eight petitions regarding the election, stating that there was insufficient evidence of irregularities or that they lacked the jurisdiction to annul the results.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, an opposition candidate, has proclaimed himself the winner; however, this claim is firmly denied by allies of the long-standing President Paul Biya, who is seeking another seven-year term.
Biya, who has ruled for 43 years, only attended one campaign rally prior to the election. Meanwhile, Tchiroma Bakary, 76, a former government spokesman, refrained from filing a complaint with the Constitutional Council—appointed by Biya—and instead labeled himself the legal and legitimate president.
In a video statement released on social media, Tchiroma Bakary asserted that he won the election with what he estimates to be 55% of the vote based on returns purportedly representing 80% of the electorate.
He warned that if the Constitutional Council announces altered results, it would be complicit in violating the public's trust, adding that “the people will have no choice but to take their destiny into their own hands and seek victory wherever they can find it.”
Biya’s ruling party has dismissed Tchiroma Bakary's claims, stating that only the Constitutional Council can declare official results, a sentiment echoed by the influential Catholic Church, which urged the judges to reflect voters’ will in their verdict.
The escalating tensions have raised fears of potential post-electoral violence in a country already grappling with separatist conflicts in Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North region.
