BREAKING: Cameroon’s Opposition Leader Claims Victory Over Paul Biya
Cameroon’s opposition leader, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, has unilaterally declared victory in the country’s presidential election, despite no official announcement from the electoral authorities.
In a five-minute video posted to social media early Tuesday, Tchiroma claimed he had won the vote and called on long-serving President Paul Biya, 92, to concede defeat.
“The people have chosen, and this choice must be respected,” Tchiroma said.
However, the government swiftly cautioned that only results issued by the Constitutional Council are valid.
According to election law, the Council has up to two weeks to officially declare the outcome.
President Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, is seeking another term amid growing calls for political reform and economic renewal.
In Cameroon’s 2018 presidential election, opposition candidate Maurice Kamto declared himself the winner just a day after voting ended.
His announcement sparked a harsh government response — Kamto was arrested, his supporters’ rallies were violently dispersed with tear gas and water cannons, and dozens were detained.
Now, President Paul Biya — the world’s oldest serving head of state — is seeking an eighth term, aiming to further extend his decades-long rule. But this time, former employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has stirred unexpected enthusiasm among voters, setting the stage for a tense showdown.
Supporters from both camps are already claiming victory, as images of hand-tallied results on sheets and blackboards circulate widely on social media.
Biya, who has led Cameroon since 1982, faced 11 challengers in the one-round election.
Tchiroma, once a loyal ally, resigned from government in June to join the opposition after two decades at Biya’s side.
He emerged as the leading challenger following the Constitutional Council’s decision to bar Kamto from contesting.
For many of the eight million registered voters, Biya is the only leader they have ever known.
He has consistently won every election over the past two decades with more than 70 percent of the vote.
Cameroonian political scientist Stephane Akoa told AFP before the vote: “We shouldn’t be naive. We know full well the ruling system has ample means at its disposal to get results in its favour.”
Yet, he noted that this year’s campaign had been “much livelier” than usual, raising the possibility of surprises at the polls.
When Biya first assumed power in 1982, Ronald Reagan was president of the United States, and the Cold War was still raging.
Since then, Biya—Cameroon’s second leader since independence from France in 1960—has maintained a tight grip on power, personally appointing and dismissing top officials while crushing political and armed opposition.
Despite social unrest, deep economic inequality, and persistent separatist conflict, Biya has managed to cling to power for more than four decades — an era that may now face its most serious challenge yet.
