High-profile Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto on Friday admitted that efforts to unite rival parties against President Paul Biya ahead of next month’s election had failed, deepening fears of a fragmented challenge to the world’s oldest head of state.
Kamto, 71, who was barred from contesting the October 12 poll by a constitutional court ruling in August, had earlier urged the 11 opposition candidates to rally behind a single flagbearer or form a coalition to boost their chances against Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for 43 years.
He revealed that despite holding talks with seven contenders, no agreement was reached. He pointed to the possibility that alliances between figures such as former ministers Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakari could have generated the “popular national dynamic” needed to unseat Biya.
“The refusal to unite weakens the opposition’s chances,” Kamto said in a video address posted on social media. He, however, called on Cameroonians to “vote with their consciences” despite what he described as an “iniquitous and ignoble” rejection of his candidacy.
Kamto, a leading critic of the government, finished second to Biya in the disputed 2018 presidential election. His exclusion this year has drawn criticism from his supporters, who still view him as a key opposition figure.
Meanwhile, President Biya, now 92 and seeking an eighth term, remains a dominant force in the country’s politics despite persistent rumours about his health. On the eve of the official campaign kickoff, he departed Cameroon for what the presidency described as a “private trip to Europe,” with Geneva widely believed to be his destination.
