Latest news with #CameroonElections
News24
4 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Fierce critic of Cameroon president to stand in election
A fierce critic of Cameroon's long-running President Paul Biya has officially submitted his candidacy for October's presidential vote, according to a list published on Friday by election authorities. Maurice Kamto, 71, who came second to Biya in the 2018 presidential election, will stand for the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), the party's leader, Anicet Ekane, confirmed to a local television station. In 2018, Kamto stood for the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), but Ekane said that he would 'resign from the MRC to join MANIDEM', a party founded in the 1990s and rooted in Pan-Africanism. The 92-year-old Biya is seeking an eighth term in office and has been in power since 1982. So far, 19 candidates have signed up to stand in the 12 October election, including former prime minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya's for nearly 30 years, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who resigned as employment minister in early June to submit his candidacy. The definitive list of candidates will be announced in early August.
Arab News
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Cameroon's 92-year-old president faces emerging rivals
YAOUNDE, Cameroon: At 92, the world's oldest head of state, Cameroonian President Paul Biya, faces defections by allies-turned-rivals jockeying to replace him in elections that could end his four-plus decades in power. Biya, who has led Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982, has had two key allies defect back-to-back as the African country heads for elections in October. First was Employment Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who stepped down and announced on June 26 he was running for president for his party, the Cameroon National Salvation Front. Two days later, Mnister of State Bello Bouba Maigari, a former prime minister, also jumped in in the presidential race. Neither defection appears to have fazed the veteran leader. The government released a terse statement announcing Tchiroma had been replaced, without mentioning he had resigned. Biya's camp also downplayed the challenge from Maigari, who leads the government-allied National Union for Democracy and Progress and has been close to the president for nearly three decades. 'Nothing new here,' Fame Ndongo, communications chief for the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement wrote in a front-page column Monday in the state newspaper, the Cameroon Tribune. Biya had 'long ago decoded the premonitory signs of these departures, which are part of the classic political game in an advanced liberal democracy,' Ndongo said. By statute, Biya is automatically the ruling party's presidential candidate, though he has not yet confirmed he will run. The nonagenarian's public appearances have grown rare and rumors of poor health are swirling. Tchiroma and Maigari have challenged Biya before. Both ran against him in the 1992 election. Tchiroma had just been released from prison, and Maigari was just returning from exile at the time. But both men, powerful figures from the country's politically important, traditionally pro-government north, soon fell in line with Biya. That has drawn criticism from some. Northern Cameroon's people 'are rotting in poverty,' said Severin Tchokonte, a professor at the region's University of Garoua. 'Supporting the regime all this time amounts to betraying those people, who have no water, no electricity, no infrastructure to ensure their minimal well-being,' he said. Tchiroma has sought to distance himself from Biya's tainted legacy, drawing a line between 'yesterday' and 'today.' 'Admittedly, we didn't manage to lift you from poverty yesterday, but today, if we come together... we can do it,' he told a rally in Garoua in June. Cameroon's last presidential election, in 2018, was marred by violence. Only around 53 percent of registered voters took part. The ruling CPDM has long relied on alliances with potential rivals to keep it in power. But Cameroon is in dire economic straits, and there are mounting calls for change, especially on social media. With many of the country's 28 million people mired in poverty, there could be a mass protest vote at the polls. That may not benefit Tchiroma and Maigari, however. Both face accusations of acting as Biya puppets to divert votes from more hard-line opponents such as Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) — a charge both men deny. 'Bello and Tchiroma have been with the CPDM a long time. They could be looking to fracture and weaken the opposition to contain the surge of Maurice Kamto and the CRM,' said Tchokonte. 'If the CRM gets votes in the north, that could tip the balance.' There is a 'large, cross-regional' demand for change in Cameroon, said Anicet Ekane, the veteran leader of opposition party Manidem. 'It will be increasingly difficult for (Biya) to count on elites to tell people how to vote and avoid a national movement against the government,' he said. Biya urged Cameroonians in February to ignore 'the sirens of chaos' being sounded by 'certain irresponsible individuals.' 'I can assure you my determination to serve you remains intact,' he said last year.
Malay Mail
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Cameroon's 92-year-old president faces defections as key allies join race to end four-decade rule
YAOUNDÉ (Cameroon), July 4 — At 92, the world's oldest head of state, Cameroonian President Paul Biya, faces defections by allies-turned-rivals jockeying to replace him in elections that could end his four-plus decades in power. Biya, who has led Cameroon with an iron fist since 1982, has had two key allies defect back-to-back as the African country heads for elections in October. First was employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who stepped down and announced on June 26 he was running for president for his party, the Cameroon National Salvation Front. Two days later, minister of state Bello Bouba Maigari, a former prime minister, also jumped in the presidential race. Neither defection appears to have fazed the veteran leader. The government released a terse statement announcing Tchiroma had been replaced, without mentioning he had resigned. Biya's camp also downplayed the challenge from Maigari, who leads the government-allied National Union for Democracy and Progress and has been close to the president for nearly three decades. 'Nothing new here,' Fame Ndongo, communications chief for the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), wrote in a front-page column Monday in the state newspaper, the Cameroon Tribune. Biya had 'long ago decoded the premonitory signs of these departures, which are part of the classic political game in an advanced liberal democracy,' Ndongo said. By statute, Biya is automatically the ruling party's presidential candidate, though he has not yet confirmed he will run. The nonagenarian's public appearances have grown rare and rumours of poor health are swirling. 'Rotting in poverty' Tchiroma and Maigari have challenged Biya before. Both ran against him in the 1992 election. Tchiroma had just been released from prison, and Maigari was just returning from exile at the time. But both men, powerful figures from the country's politically important, traditionally pro-government north, soon fell in line with Biya. That has drawn criticism from some. Northern Cameroon's people 'are rotting in poverty,' said Severin Tchokonte, a professor at the region's University of Garoua. 'Supporting the regime all this time amounts to betraying those people, who have no water, no electricity, no infrastructure to ensure their minimal well-being,' he said. Tchiroma has sought to distance himself from Biya's tainted legacy, drawing a line between 'yesterday' and 'today'. 'Admittedly, we didn't manage to lift you from poverty yesterday, but today, if we come together... we can do it,' he told a rally in Garoua in June. Cameroon's last presidential election, in 2018, was marred by violence. Only around 53 per cent of registered voters took part. The ruling CPDM has long relied on alliances with potential rivals to keep it in power. But Cameroon is in dire economic straits, and there are mounting calls for change, especially on social media. With many of the country's 28 million people mired in poverty, there could be a mass protest vote at the polls. Presidential puppets? That may not benefit Tchiroma and Maigari, however. Both face accusations of acting as Biya puppets to divert votes from more hardline opponents such as Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) — a charge both men deny. 'Bello and Tchiroma have been with the CPDM a long time. They could be looking to fracture and weaken the opposition to contain the surge of Maurice Kamto and the CRM,' said Tchokonte. 'If the CRM gets votes in the north, that could tip the balance.' There is a 'large, cross-regional' demand for change in Cameroon, said Anicet Ekane, the veteran leader of opposition party Manidem. 'It will be increasingly difficult for (Biya) to count on elites to tell people how to vote and avoid a national movement against the government,' he said. Biya urged Cameroonians in February to ignore 'the sirens of chaos' being sounded by 'certain irresponsible individuals'. 'I can assure you my determination to serve you remains intact,' he said last year. — AFP
Reuters
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Cameroon leader's ally quits, launches challenge in political shake-up
YAOUNDE, June 27 (Reuters) - A long-time ally of Cameroon's leader has quit the government to run for president in October elections - a defection that could reshape the West African nation's politics after more than four decades of Paul Biya's rule. Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who served as spokesperson for Biya's government from 2009 to 2018, said this week he had resigned as employment minister in response to what he said were widespread calls for change. "As a political leader, I felt called upon to respond to this solicitation from our compatriots from north to south, from east to west," Tchiroma said in an interview with a social media influencer Ben Oumar on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday. Cameroon's communication ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state at 92, has not confirmed whether he plans to stand again in the vote. There has been widespread speculation in Cameroon about a possible succession battle in the ruling coalition. Tchiroma's challenge could shake the ruling party's confidence ahead of what many anticipate will be a historic election — possibly the first without Biya since 1982. Cameroon has had just two presidents since independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s. It would also mark a major political realignment in the northern regions – Tchiroma's home base – which has traditionally delivered strong support for Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM). Tchiroma is the leader of the Cameroon National Salvation Front, a CPDM-allied party, and has previously also served as transport and communication minister. He announced his plans in an open letter on Wednesday, in which he said that Biya's administration had stifled progress and paralysed institutions. Tchiroma said on Thursday his goals include a referendum on federalism, which would grant more power to provinces. He also vowed to prioritize youth employment, education and agricultural modernization. Tchiroma could still face an uphill battle in a political system where incumbency, patronage and party machinery wield enormous influence. But he is now arguably the most influential northern opposition figure, and his defection signals a potential realignment of elites, Munjah Vitalis Fagha, a political scientist at the University of Buea, told Reuters. Tchiroma's candidacy may open the door for other northern figures like Bello Bouba Maigari of the National Union for Democracy and Progress to declare bids, Fagha and other analysts said.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ally of Cameroon president, 92, quits 'broken' government to challenge him
Issa Tchiroma Bakary - a prominent minister and long-time ally of President Paul Biya - has quit Cameroon's government, in the hope of ending 92-year-old Biya's four-decade grip on power in upcoming elections. Just four months before the central African nation goes to the polls, Bakary says the Biya administration he was part of has "broken" public trust and he is switching to a rival political party. "A country cannot exist in the service of one man," Tchiroma said on Wednesday. While he was communications minister, Bakary notably came under fire for denying - then backtracking on his denial - that Cameroonian soldiers had killed women and children in a viral video verified by BBC Africa Eye. His other roles during almost two decades in government include being a spokesman for the Biya government and, until his resignation on Tuesday, he was employment minister. Paul Biya - the world's oldest head of state - has yet to confirm if he will stand for president a seventh time. Last year, the country banned reports on the president's health following rumours that he had died. As this election approaches, high unemployment and soaring living costs are of concern to many Cameroonians, as are corruption and security. A separatist insurgency in the English-speaking provinces as well as jihadists operating in the northernmost region have forced many thousands of Cameroonians from their homes in the past decade. Cracks in Bakary's relationship with President Biya were blown open earlier this month, when he told crowds in his home city of Garoua that Biya's time in power had not benefitted them in any way. Bakary continued this criticism in a 24-page manifesto released a day after his resignation, promising to dismantle the "the old system" so that Cameroon could move beyond "abuse, contempt, and the confiscation of power". One of his proposed solutions is federalism - he is offering to hold a referendum on devolving more power to Cameroon's 10 provinces. This has long been mooted by many as a solution to the country's so-called Anglophone crisis. Specifically addressing English-speaking Cameroonians, he said "you do not need people to speak for you - you need to be listened to" and that "centralisation has failed". Bakary also used his manifesto to say Cameroon "has been ruled for decades by the same vision, the same system. This model, long presented as a safeguard of stability, has gradually stifled progress, paralysed our institutions, and broken the bond of trust between the state and its citizens". As the October presidential election approaches, rights groups have condemned the government's crackdown on dissent. Shortly after Bakary announced his plans to run for the presidency, the government reportedly announced a ban on all political activities by his Cameroon National Salvation Front (CNSF) party in a sub-district of the Far North region - a part of the country where he is said to be an influential power-broker. Weeks earlier, fellow presidential hopeful Maurice Kamto had his movements curtailed during a two-day police stakeout in Douala, after promising supporters at a rally in Paris that he would protect Biya and his family if he wins in October. Parliamentary elections that were also supposed to take place earlier this year have been delayed until 2026. Reaction to Bakary's presidential bid has been mixed - some think he is canny. "By positioning himself as the elder statesman who 'saw the fire coming', Tchiroma is hedging that his break with Biya will be seen as bold - not opportunistic," Cameroonian analyst and broadcaster Jules Domshe told the BBC. "From economic fallout to youth unemployment, insecurity, and growing unrest in the North-West, South-West, and Far North [regions], Cameroon is ripe for change." Opposition voices are divided - some want Bakary to support Kamto, who was the runner-up in 2018 with 14% of votes. But others say Bakary is tainted by his long association with Biya. "He cannot embody change... He was part of the system for too long. The youth do not trust him," says Abdoulaye Harissou, a legal notary and prominent critic once detained by the government. Another member of the opposition - Jean Michel Nintcheu of the APC coalition - simply said: "We don't see Tchiroma as a potential winner." 'Nowhere is safe' - Cameroonians trapped between separatists and soldiers Art curator Koyo Kouoh dies at height of career The lawyer risking everything to defend LGBT rights Paul Biya: Cameroon's 'absentee president' Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Focus on Africa This Is Africa
