CIVICUS discusses Cameroon’s upcoming presidential election with Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, director of the Human Rights Defenders Network in Central Africa, a civil society organisation dedicated to protecting human rights defenders in the region.

President Paul Biya, aged 92 and in power since 1982, is seeking an eighth term in the 12 October presidential election. The Constitutional Council has approved only 12 of the 83 candidates who put themselves forward. Among those excluded is Maurice Kamto, the main opposition leader, further fuelling public mistrust in the fairness of the election. In response, civil society groups and young activists have organised peaceful protests in the capital, Yaoundé, to demand a transparent electoral process. Security forces have responded with teargas and arrests, but protests continue.

What do Biya’s candidacy and Kamto’s exclusion mean?

Biya’s decision to run for a fifth term after over four decades in power illustrates the persistence of a political system marked by a strong personalisation of power and the absence of democratic renewal. It seems transfers of power are taboo in Cameroon.

Forty-three years after coming to power in 1982, Biya is perpetuating his presidency and, as a result, prolonging an ageing and decadent regime. This lack of political renewal prevents Cameroon from effectively addressing urgent challenges: we suffer from enormous problems in access to drinking water and electricity, employment and road and hospital infrastructure.

Kamto, a key opposition figure since 2018 and candidate of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon, has been arbitrarily disqualified. The regime has sought to limit electoral competition to candidates it deems acceptable, fuelling a crisis of legitimacy and exacerbating a lack of confidence in the electoral process. The Constitutional Council, Electoral Council and Ministry of Territorial Administration used lies and distortions to exclude Kamto, clearly demonstrating the regime is afraid of him.

How has civil society responded?

Although fragmented and sometimes facing repression, civil society has expressed outrage at the exclusion of candidates through press releases, social media campaigns and sporadic protests. We condemn these exclusions as a violation of democratic principles and a flagrant violation of Cameroonian law and the constitution and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. If the process is already so flawed at this early stage, it means we are heading towards an election that lacks any credibility.

The protests that followed, although limited, showed that part of the public rejects the normalisation of a rigged electoral process. Despite the risk of repression, there’s a growing desire for greater transparency and accountability.

Will the fact there are 12 candidates work in Biya’s favour?

Biya, for the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, will face 11 candidates from opposition political parties with small structures and weak electoral bases.

Such a number, while indicative of a certain formal pluralism, risks dividing the opposition vote, which would play into the hands of the ruling party and allow it to remain in power. An opposition group has been trying for weeks to find a consensus candidate, but has not yet succeeded. This is a single-round election, and if the opposition remains divided, it will give the regime a decisive advantage.

What steps should be taken to ensure a credible election?

The opposition must unite behind a common candidate and involve civil society in the process. Political and civil society groups should encourage voter participation, monitor the election, document and report any irregularities and denounce any forms of fraud observed. The outcome will depend on the degree of election monitoring in all polling stations.

At the international level, regional and international organisations including the African Union, the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the European Union and the United Nations must demand transparency, send independent election observation missions, make specific forms of cooperation conditional on democratic progress and protect human rights defenders from repression.

Western governments, the international community and international human rights organisations must remain vigilant and speak out loudly against violations. There must be no condoning of the dirty tricks already evident. The preservation of democratic rights depends on it.