Presidential Poll: Cameroon’s Opposition Candidate Claims Victory Against Paul Biya

Cameroon’s opposition challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, declared victory on Tuesday against President Paul Biya in the country’s presidential election.

Biya has ruled Cameroon for 43 years. Official results from Sunday’s vote are not expected for another two weeks.

However, Tchiroma took to Facebook to declare, “Our victory is clear. It must be respected,” urging the government to “accept the truth of the ballot box” or risk plunging the nation into turmoil. He also promised to release a detailed breakdown of the results by region.

“The people have chosen,” he added, emphasizing his confidence in the outcome.

Under Cameroonian law, while tally sheets can be published publicly, the final results must be confirmed by the Constitutional Council — a process the government insists is a “red line that must not be crossed.”

Tchiroma, a former employment minister, has energized voters across the central African nation, emerging as a key challenger to Biya, who is seeking an unprecedented eighth term.

Supporters on both sides have already circulated images of tally sheets and blackboards online, each claiming victory.

This is not the first time Cameroon’s opposition has declared victory prematurely. In 2018, opposition candidate Maurice Kamto proclaimed himself the winner a day after the vote, leading to his arrest and the dispersal of supporters’ rallies with tear gas and water cannons.

The 92-year-old Biya remains the world’s oldest serving head of state and is determined to extend his decades-long rule.