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Opposition leaders in Cameroon on Tuesday objected to the official results of the October 12 presidential election, as protests continued across the country after the country’s top court declared Paul Biya, the world’s oldest leader, the winner.
Citizens began protesting in mid-October when opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bekri claimed victory as official results were still coming in. Since then, security forces have clashed with angry protesters in many cities. doula and Garoua – an opposition stronghold – and in the capital Yaoundé. At least four people were shot and hundreds were arrested as opposition supporters demanded credible results.
The Constitutional Council said on Monday that Biya won the election with 53.66% against his former ally-turned challenger Tachiroma, who received 35.19%. The results are final and cannot be appealed.
International bodies and human rights organizations condemned the violent response to the protests on Tuesday.
European Union A statement on Tuesday said it was “deeply concerned” by the violent repression of protests on 26 and 27 October and condemned the deaths of several civilians by firearms.
The UN Secretary-General reiterated these concerns, calling on political stakeholders and their supporters to “exercise restraint, reject violence and refrain from any incendiary rhetoric and hate speech.” Human Rights Watch And Amnesty International And other rights groups have also noted “excessive use of force” against protesters and called for an investigation into the deaths.
Paul Atanga Ng, the regional administration minister, told reporters on Tuesday that protesters “wreaked havoc” in several cities across the country ahead of the official announcement of the presidential election results.
“During these attacks, some criminals lost their lives. Several members of the security forces were also seriously injured during clashes with protesters,” Atanga NG said, without giving further details.
Soon after being declared the winner, 92-year-old Biya sent his thoughts to all those who “have unnecessarily lost their lives” in the post-poll violence and their families.
But opposition candidates rejected the results announced by the Constitutional Council. Tchiroma claimed victory two days after the election and last week called on his supporters to “come out in huge numbers”. On Tuesday, he called on the Constitutional Council to announce “truncated results” and award Biya an “imaginary victory”.
The only female candidate in the election, Tomano Ndam Njoya, who finished fifth, said on Monday that the election results did not reflect the “sovereign will” of the people.
“They reflect a weak electoral system that has been weakened by irregularities, manipulation and repeated violations of the law,” he said.
A group of eight local civil society groups had previously noted several irregularities in the electoral process, including the presence of dead voters in electoral lists, uneven distribution of ballot papers, and attempts to stuff ballot boxes. But the African Union mission said the vote was “largely conducted in accordance with regional, continental and international standards.”
Biya is expected to be sworn in within 15 days of the official announcement of the results in line with Cameroon’s constitution. He first came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president and has ruled since then, benefiting from a subsequent constitutional amendment that abolished term limits.
Cameroon is an oil-producing country with modest economic growth, but young people say the benefits have not reached the elite. According to World Bank data, the unemployment rate is 3.5%, but 57% of the labor force aged 18 to 35 works in informal employment.
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