Provisional Election Results Show Biya Lead, Challenger Alleges Fraud

YAOUNDÉ – According to provisional results released by the National Commission for the Final Counting of Votes, the incumbent President Paul Biya holds a commanding lead in the presidential election. The 92-year-old leader, candidate for the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC), is positioned for an eighth term.

The results place his main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), in a distant second place, with 35.19% of the vote. Other candidates, including Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN) and Bello Bouba Maïgari of the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP), garnered 3.41% and 2.45% respectively, as reported by local media.

Challenger Rejects Results, Claims Victory

The announced outcome has been met with immediate and forceful rejection from the opposition. In a video circulated on social media on Sunday, Mr. Tchiroma Bakary contested the commission's figures, asserting that his own tally shows him winning approximately 60% of the vote.

“Our victory is clear. It must be respected,” declared an impassioned Tchiroma. He described the alleged result as a “clear sanction of the incumbent regime and a plebiscite for immediate change,” and called on the government to “accept the truth of the ballot boxes or plunge the country into turmoil.”

Government Condemns "Irresponsible" Statements

The government responded swiftly. In an official statement, Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji condemned Mr. Tchiroma's “irresponsible and arrogant attitude,” labeling it a “conspiratorial and anti-republican maneuver” that risked setting “Cameroon ablaze.”

The ruling RDPC party also issued a sharp rebuke, dismissing the challenger's claims as a “grotesque hoax” and an “unacceptable felony in a state governed by the rule of law.” The party expressed confidence in the ongoing constitutional process.

Awaiting Final Confirmation

The official confirmation of the election now rests with the Constitutional Council, which is expected to validate the final results in the coming days. Should the Council certify the current results, President Biya, who has been in power for 43 years, will extend his rule, further cementing his status as one of Africa's longest-serving leaders.