YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — October 14, 2025.
Cameroon’s post-election tension deepened on Monday after opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary declared victory in Sunday’s presidential poll, despite no official confirmation from the country’s electoral authority.
Speaking from Yaoundé, Bakary — who leads the National Alliance for Progress and Democracy — told supporters that early counts showed a “clear win” and called on President Paul Biya, 92, to concede defeat. However, ELECAM, the national elections body, has not yet released verified results, and the government swiftly dismissed Bakary’s claims as “premature and misleading.”
According to Reuters and Le Monde Afrique, partial results from key urban centers are still being compiled, while regional offices in the northwest and far north reported logistical delays. The Constitutional Council is expected to publish official tallies no later than October 26, 2025, in line with constitutional provisions.
If confirmed, a Bakary victory would mark the end of more than four decades of Biya’s rule, making him one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world. Analysts warn, however, that a contested result could heighten political uncertainty in a country still grappling with separatist tensions in the Anglophone regions.
International observers from the African Union and European Union missions have yet to issue formal statements, though both called for calm and transparency during vote counting.
For now, Cameroonians wait — cautiously — as the final results are tallied in what could be a turning point for one of Central Africa’s most politically enduring regimes.
Sources:
Al Jazeera Reuters Le Monde Afrique The Guardian
