Cameroon’s 92-year-old president wins controversial eighth term

Cameroon’s 92-year-old president won a controversial eighth term in a fiercely contested election.

The Constitutional Council announced that Paul Biya, the world’s oldest president, received 53.7 percent of the votes, while opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary received 35.2 percent of the votes.

Before the announcement, Biya’s former ally Tchiroma Bakary had insisted he won the election, but the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) denied this claim.

The October 12 elections saw deadly violence, and hundreds of Tchiroma Bakary supporters have defied protest bans and clashed with security forces in several cities in recent days.

At least four people were killed during protests in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, on Sunday.

Regional governor Samuel Dieudonné Diboua said police stations were attacked and security forces defended themselves.

A local journalist at the scene told the BBC that the unrest continued on Monday and many people were shot dead near Tchiroma Bakary’s home in the town of Garoua.

Around the same time, the opposition leader wrote on Facebook that civilians gathered in front of his house were opened fire on. He later claimed that snipers were deployed to the house opposite his and were “shooting at people from close range”.

Officials have not yet commented on these reports.

Protesters condemned what they said was a plot by the ruling CPDM to “steal victory” from Tchiroma Bakary.

The situation in the capital Yaoundé is so tense that almost all shops and schools remain closed, while most civil servants and office workers have stayed at home.

A total of 10 candidates were competing for the presidency, including former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari.

Voter turnout was 58 percent.

At least 10 petitions alleging election fraud were rejected by the Constitutional Council.

Yaoundé residents voice their opinions on Biya’s controversial victory.

“We are at the beginning of another nightmare,” Amungwa Nicodemus told the BBC.

“The economy is in decline, corruption is rife, and many things are going wrong.”

Another resident, Abolo Denis, called on Cameroonians to accept the result, saying peace was of utmost importance.

“The first thing that struck me after the results were announced was the silence – cemetery silence,” said Vivian Muma from the northern city of Bamenda.

“Silence tells it all. Cameroonians decided but [make] “The decisions ruled otherwise,” he said.

President Biya, who came to power in 1982, has yet to make a public address to Cameroonians following his re-election on Monday, but the ruling party praised his victory “under the sign of greatness and hope” in online posts.

He is rarely seen in public and is known outside Africa to spend time in Swiss hotels. These long absences In the past, combined with his advanced age, rumors that he died.

Although his leadership was praised for the expansion of schools and public universities, Handling of the Bakassi dispute His tenure, which led to the transfer of the oil-rich peninsula to Cameroon instead of Nigeria, also faced criticism.

A. violent separatist rebellion In the English-speaking west, this practice has been going on for almost a decade, with unemployment for under-35s at 40%, roads and hospitals crumbling, and freedom of expression limited.

Analysts have warned in recent days that Cameroon, once a peaceful country, could be plunged into political turmoil if election results do not reflect the will of the people.

“Biya now has a very shaky tenure in office as many of his own citizens do not believe he won the election,” International Crisis Group Africa Program Director Murithi Mutiga said in a statement. he said.

“We call on Biya to urgently initiate national mediation to prevent further escalation of tensions,” he added.