Cameroon’s Maurice Kamto appeals presidential poll disqualification
Cameroon's national electoral body, Elecam, approved only 13 out of the 83 applications, leaving out Maurice Kamto, who was the runner-up in the hotly contested 2018 election.
Cameroon's main opposition leader, Maurice Kamto, has filed an appeal with the Constitutional Council challenging his disqualification from the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October.
Kamto, who leads the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), submitted his petition on Monday, according to Africa News, seeking to overturn the electoral body's decision that excluded him from the final list of approved candidates.
On Sunday, Kamto was excluded from the official list of presidential candidates cleared to run for the October 12 polls.
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Cameroon's 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.
Kamto's disqualification arose from a leadership rift within the Manidem party, which he joined after the MRC was deemed ineligible to field a candidate due to its absence in Parliament and local councils.
While Manidem's official leadership supported Kamto's bid, a rival group within the party submitted a separate candidacy under the same banner. Confronted with two competing nominations, Elecam opted to reject both applications.
However, Kamto's supporters have cried foul, arguing that other parties with multiple candidates were allowed to proceed without interference from Elecam.
News of his exclusion was met with sharp criticism both locally and internationally, with many accusing the electoral commission of applying double standards, given Elecam's alleged decision to accept multiple candidates from other parties facing similar internal disputes.
Civil society groups and political analysts likewise questioned the credibility of the process, fueling concerns about the fairness of the upcoming election and the shrinking democratic space in Cameroon.
Prior to his exclusion, Kamto was expected to mount a strong challenge against incumbent President Paul Biya, who at 92 is Africa's second-longest-serving head of state and the oldest in the world.
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982 after succeeding the country's first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, is now seeking an eighth term in office.
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