Cameroon’s Maurice Kamto barred from presidential race as Biya seeks to extend 42-year rule
Kamto previously contested the presidency under the Cameroon Resistance Movement (CRM), but has not yet publicly commented on his latest disqualification.
Cameroon’s main opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, has been excluded from the official list of candidates cleared to run in the country’s presidential election scheduled for October 12.
This development comes despite more than 80 hopefuls submitting their candidacies for the upcoming polls last week. According to media reports, the national electoral body, Elecam, approved only 13 out of the 83 applications, leaving out Kamto, who was the runner-up in the hotly contested 2018 election.
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Kamto previously contested the presidency under the Cameroon Resistance Movement (CRM), but has not yet publicly commented on his latest disqualification.
According to the BBC, Kamto’s exclusion stems from an internal dispute within the Manidem party, which he joined after CRM was barred from fielding a candidate this year due to its lack of representation in Parliament and local councils.
Separate nomination
While Manidem’s main leadership backed Kamto’s candidacy, a rival faction submitted a separate nomination under the same party name. Faced with two conflicting applications, Elecam opted to reject both to avoid appearing partisan.
“We call on all Cameroonians to show calm and restraint because, for the moment, it is only an offside goal. This tackle from behind must be sanctioned by the Constitutional Council, which we will turn to,” said Manidem president Anicet Ekane, describing Kamto’s exclusion as “arbitrary and provocative.”
Candidates who were left off the final list have two days to appeal the decision in court.
Meanwhile, incumbent President Paul Biya, 92, has been cleared to run, paving the way for a potential eighth term in office.
Biya, who took over from President Ahmadou Ahidjo following his resignation, has ruled Cameroon since 1982. He is currently Africa’s second-longest-serving head of state after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang.
Observers believe Biya’s main challengers could include two of his former allies, Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari, both cleared to run and seen as influential figures in Cameroon’s populous northern region.
Other approved candidates include renowned anti-corruption lawyer Akere Muna, Social Democratic Front (SDF) leader Joshua Osih, and Member of Parliament Cabral Libii. Foumban Mayor Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya is the only woman on the final list of contenders for the October vote.
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