Cameroon’s Electoral Commission Bars Main Opposition Leader From Presidential Race Against 92-Year-Old Paul Biya

Cameroon’s main opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, has been barred from contesting in the country’s upcoming presidential election.

This decision has sparked concerns over potential unrest and strengthened expectations of another victory for incumbent President Paul Biya, who has ruled the Central African nation since 1982.

The country’s electoral commission, ELECAM, announced the provisional list of approved candidates at a press conference on Saturday, confirming 13 names—but excluding Kamto, according to AlJazeera.

No explanation was given for the rejection, although those disqualified have two days to file an appeal.

Kamto, 71, a prominent challenger in past elections, had officially submitted his candidacy the previous week. He came second in the 2018 presidential election with 14 percent of the vote, while Biya claimed over 70 percent amid widespread allegations of fraud and low voter turnout.

This time, Kamto sought to run as the candidate of the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), a communist party. In 2018, he ran under the banner of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), which he founded in 2012.

His disqualification has triggered a wave of anxiety in the capital, Yaoundé, and across the country.

Security forces were deployed around ELECAM headquarters and along key roads in both Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon’s commercial capital, in anticipation of protests. The United Nations Department of Safety and Security had earlier warned that the announcement could provoke demonstrations.

ELECAM said 83 candidates had submitted applications, but only 13 were approved. The final list will be published in the coming days after the resolution of any appeals.

President Biya, 92, the world’s oldest sitting head of state, confirmed last month he would seek re-election on October 12, marking his eighth bid for office amid growing concerns about his health and long-standing criticisms of his rule.

Over four decades, Biya’s administration has faced persistent allegations of corruption, political repression, and a violent separatist conflict in the country’s English-speaking regions that has disrupted education and displaced thousands.

Among the approved candidates are former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, a longtime ally of Biya, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who resigned as employment minister in June to contest the election.