Cameroon’s Constitutional Council on Wednesday, October 22, has dismissed petitions seeking the annulment of the 12 October presidential election, rejecting eight opposition appeals for lack of evidence or jurisdiction.
The court confirmed it would announce the official results on Monday, amid widespread protests and allegations of electoral fraud, including ballot-stuffing. Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesman who defected from President Paul Biya’s camp, has declared himself the winner, claiming to have secured 55% of the vote. Bakary has refused to recognise the authority of the Constitutional Council, arguing that its judges were appointed by Biya, who has ruled the country for 43 years and is seeking another seven-year term.
The disputed poll has heightened fears of post-election unrest in a nation already battling separatist violence in its Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North. While Biya’s ruling party has dismissed Bakary’s self-declared victory as illegal, the Catholic Church has appealed for transparency and integrity in the final declaration of results. Bakary has warned that if the council endorses “falsified results,” citizens may be forced to “take their destiny into their own hands,” raising concerns of potential instability in one of Central Africa’s most fragile democracies.