Cameroon’s opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma, has declared victory in the country’s presidential election, held on October 12, urging President Paul Biya to accept defeat and “honor the truth of the ballot box”.
Tchiroma, a 76-year-old former government spokesperson and employment minister, claimed that “our victory is clear” and emphasized that “the people have chosen”.
He praised voters for defying intimidation and staying at polling stations late into the night to protect their ballots.
The government has not officially responded to Tchiroma’s declaration, but Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji warned that any unilateral publication of results would be considered “high treason”, as only the Constitutional Council has the authority to announce the winner.
The council has until October 26 to announce the outcome.
Tchiroma called on the military, security forces, and government administrators to remain loyal to the “republic, not the regime”, and announced that he would soon release a region-by-region breakdown of vote tallies compiled from publicly posted results.
Biya, 92, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is seeking an eighth term after 43 years in power.
