A Cameroon election, marred by allegations of irregularities and ballot-stuffing, has seen its results dismissed by judges on the Constitutional Council. Eight petitions submitted by opposition supporters were deemed insufficient to warrant the cancellation of the poll, with judges citing a lack of evidence or jurisdiction to annul the results.
Despite this dismissal, opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of the election, claiming he won with around 55% of the vote based on returns representing 80% of the electorate. His claims are, however, rejected by President Paul Biya's allies, who have described them as illegal.
President Biya, 92 and in power for an impressive 43 years, had only addressed one campaign rally before the election, while Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesman aged 76, was seen as a more formidable challenger. He refused to file complaints with the Constitutional Council, instead opting to declare himself the "legal and legitimate president".
This move has been met with growing tensions in the country, with fears of post-electoral violence sparking in a nation already rocked by separatist conflicts in the Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgencies in the Far North.
As the Constitutional Council's decision comes into effect, it remains to be seen how this will impact the outcome of the election.
Despite this dismissal, opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of the election, claiming he won with around 55% of the vote based on returns representing 80% of the electorate. His claims are, however, rejected by President Paul Biya's allies, who have described them as illegal.
President Biya, 92 and in power for an impressive 43 years, had only addressed one campaign rally before the election, while Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesman aged 76, was seen as a more formidable challenger. He refused to file complaints with the Constitutional Council, instead opting to declare himself the "legal and legitimate president".
This move has been met with growing tensions in the country, with fears of post-electoral violence sparking in a nation already rocked by separatist conflicts in the Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgencies in the Far North.
As the Constitutional Council's decision comes into effect, it remains to be seen how this will impact the outcome of the election.
I'm worried about Cameroon right now... 43 years of President Biya is like forever 
! The fact that he only showed up to one campaign rally and then just declared himself the winner without going through the proper channels is super shady 
. And now, with tensions rising and separatist conflicts already happening in the country, it's a powder keg waiting to blow 
. I feel bad for the opposition supporters who poured their hearts into this election, only to have their votes dismissed without enough evidence 
. The judges' decision was probably the right one, but at what cost? 
It's gonna be super interesting to see how this plays out in the coming days 
. Eighty percent of the people aren't even getting a say if they want to re-elect President Biya? It just doesn't feel right to me. And now Bakary is declaring himself president without going through the proper channels... it's like he's taking matters into his own hands. The tensions in the country are already super high, what if things escalate and lead to some serious violence? 
I'm so worried about Cameroon right now... 43 years is a looong time for anyone to be in power, and you can see the fatigue setting in 
. President Biya's decision not to address campaign rallies until the last minute just shows how out of touch he is with the people's needs 
.
. The country's already dealing with so much unrest and conflict - separatist conflicts in the Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgencies... it's heartbreaking 
. It feels like no one's listening to anyone right now, and that's what scares me most 
the opposition guy, tchiroma bakary, is like 76 and he's out there saying he won with 55% of the vote... what's the point of even having an election if it's not gonna be fair? 
that's just a recipe for disaster...
...i feel bad for all those people waiting to know what really happened on that election. but u know whats crazy? out of all this chaos, maybe this is an opportunity for Cameroon to get a fresh start? like, think about it - 43 years of the same person in power, thats wild 
. and now we got this chance to maybe bring some change. dont get me wrong, its still not ideal but... lets see how this all plays out 
I'm not sure what's gonna happen next, but one thing's for sure - it won't be pretty. 
that's some serious ageism right there, and now he's just ignoring the rules? 
how can one man get away with this kind of thing? it's like he thinks he's above the law or something... and those opposition supporters are stuck with nothing but 8 petitions?! not enough evidence or something 
this whole situation is a mess and I'm worried about the stability of the country 
and now there are all these tensions brewing in the country... it feels like it could get really ugly if people start fighting over who's supposed to be president 
I just wish they would sort this out peacefully, you know? 
. I mean, you've got these allegations of irregularities and ballot-stuffing but when it comes down to it, judges are like "nah, we good" 
. It's like they're not really doing the people's job here.
.
. But at the same time, you feel for him, you know? He's 76 and from a government background, but he went up against Biya and still dared to challenge him.