Cameroon’s constitutional council has upheld the decision to exclude opposition leader Maurice Kamto from the October 12 presidential election. Kamto’s candidacy was rejected due to an internal party dispute, and his exclusion sparked outrage with his lawyers describing it as a political rather than legal move. Ninety-two-year-old President Paul Biya, whose candidacy also faced opposition, was cleared to run for an eighth term in the oil-rich Central African nation.
This upcoming presidential election has 83 candidates, with only 12 approved. The reasons for disqualification range from incomplete files to multiple candidacies from the same party. The main contenders include Biya, who has led the country since 1982 and is considered the favorite, as well as former prime ministers Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, both of whom have defected from Biya’s ruling party. Also in the running is Maurice Kamto’s former ally, Akere Muna, who is promising to tackle corruption and bad governance.
Given Biya’s history of sustaining a tight grip on power, some analysts argue that Maigari and Tchiroma do not pose a significant threat to the incumbent president. A potential coalition among opposition candidates is seen by some as the only real chance of challenging Biya, though divisions within the opposition make such a union uncertain. Previous attempts at opposition coalitions have seen limited success, with the closest contest against Biya achieved by John Fru Ndi in 1992.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1kzvjyljwjo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
