CAMEROON’S opposition parties have rejected the results of the recent presidential election that handed President Paul Biya another seven-year term, alleging widespread fraud and irregularities in a nation already grappling with a separatist crisis.
The ICIR reported that the central African nation’s constitutional council declared Biya the winner of the disputed poll with over 53 per cent of the ballots on Monday, with the court ruling its decision was final and not subject to appeal.
Biya’s victory has sparked violent protests in several cities across the oil and cocoa-producing nation as opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who had earlier declared himself the winner, dismissed the outcome, vowing not to recognise the results. His supporters clashed with riot police in the commercial hub of Douala, blocking major roads with burning tyres and debris.
While Biya’s supporters celebrated in his strongholds, government ministers held victory gatherings. In contrast, Douala’s usually busy streets were largely deserted on Tuesday as heavy rain and armed security forces kept protesters away.
The protests led to the death of at least four people over the weekend and two others on Monday, according to the opposition.
The European Union voiced “deep concern” over the violent suppression of demonstrations and urged the Cameroonian government to curb the excessive use of force and be open dialogue to maintain national stability.
Prominent opposition figures also denounced the election as fraudulent, as Akere Muna, a lawyer and former presidential candidate, accused the Constitutional Council of acting as “”nothing more than the rubber stamp of a tyranny.”
Tomaino Ndam Njoya, the only female candidate who finished fifth, said in a statement on Monday that the election was “not worthy of a Republic.”
“It was a confiscation of the people’s choice by interests that reject transparency in the democratic process. I solemnly reject these results,” she said, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, Cabral Libii, who placed third, congratulated Biya on his victory.
According to reports, Douala residents braced for more unrest on Tuesday, but a combination of bad weather and a heavy police presence dispersed most demonstrators.
The ICIR reported in 2018, that Biya won the election by a landslide to rule for seven years. He was 85 at the time.
The latest victory gives him another seven years in office and bolsters his place as one of Africa’s longest serving rulers after President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea who is in his thirty-ninth year in office.
Biya, who at 92 is the world’s oldest sitting president, has ruled Cameroon since 1982. Another seven-year term would extend his rule until he nears 100.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.