Cameroon’s opposition leader Issa Tchiroma declared victory on Monday night in the country’s October 12 presidential election, urging long-time ruler President Paul Biya to concede and “honour the truth of the ballot box.”
Speaking from his hometown of Garoua, Tchiroma announced on Facebook that his win was “clear” and must be respected. “The people have chosen. And this choice must be respected,” he said. The 77-year-old politician, who once served as government spokesperson and employment minister, broke away from Biya earlier this year to lead a united opposition coalition that attracted large crowds nationwide.
However, Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) dismissed Tchiroma’s self-declared victory as a “grotesque hoax.” Party spokesperson Jacques Fame Ndongo insisted that only the Constitutional Council has the legal authority to announce official results, calling Tchiroma’s statement “an inadmissible act in a state governed by the rule of law.”
The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, also warned that any unilateral publication of election results would be treated as “high treason,” pledging to maintain public order during the tense post-election period.
At 92, Biya is the world’s oldest serving head of state and is seeking an eighth term after 43 years in power. Despite widespread frustration over economic stagnation and insecurity, analysts had expected Biya’s grip on state institutions to give him a strong advantage.
Tchiroma, meanwhile, thanked voters for protecting their ballots and defying intimidation. He promised to release a region-by-region breakdown of vote tallies based on publicly posted results. “This victory is not that of one man, nor of one party. It is the victory of a people,” he declared.
The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to announce the official results.
