Although vote counting is still underway, the Cameroonian opposition leader, Issa Tchiroma, has declared himself the winner of the country’s presidential election.
He announced this in a five-minute speech shared on social media on Tuesday in which he urged long-term incumbent President Paul Biya to concede.
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“The people have chosen, and this choice must be respected,” Mr Tchiroma said in the video.
According to him, his victory is “a clear sanction” of Mr Biya’s administration and marks “the beginning of a new era” for the country.
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In his speech, he thanked rival candidates “who have already congratulated me and recognised the will of the people.”
Mr Biya, who is 92 and the world’s oldest head of state, has ruled Cameroon for more than four decades since taking power in 1982.
In the 2025 election conducted on Sunday, he was challenged by nine candidates.
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If he wins, it will be his eighth consecutive term in office, with the next election due in 2032.
However, Mr Bakary, a former government spokesman and Biya ally, is now considered the top contender to unseat Mr Biya in the elections.
In June, Mr Tchiroma resigned from the government and attracted large crowds to his campaign, where he gained key endorsements from a coalition of opposition parties and civic organisations.
His declaration, however, violated the government’s warning that any unilateral publication of results would be considered “high treason.”
The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Nji, earlier warned that only the Constitutional Council has the authority to announce the winner.
The Constitutional Council has to announce the election outcome within 15 days of the vote.
The government stated earlier this week that only results announced by the Constitutional Council are official.
The body has about two weeks to make the announcement.
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While Cameroon’s electoral law permits results to be published and posted at individual polling stations, the final tallies must be validated by the Constitutional Council.
The council has about 15 days to announce the result and is expected to do so by 26 October.
However, the Biya-led government has yet to respond officially to Mr Bakary’s declaration.
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