Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, has been declared the winner of Cameroon’s election, granting him an eighth term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100.
The country’s constitutional council said Biya had won 53.66% of the vote, while his former ally turned challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, got 35.19%.
Biya, 92, took office in 1982 and has held a tight grip on power ever since, doing away with the presidential term limit in 2008 and winning re-election by comfortable margins.
“There was no election, it was rather a masquerade,” Tchiroma said after the results were announced. “We won unequivocally.”
Cameroon has been on edge in recent weeks while waiting for the official results. A ban on public gatherings has been in effect since the day of the election and many businesses remain closed for fear of unrest. In the economic capital, Douala, there have been widespread complaints about internet restrictions that Camtel, the state operator, has blamed on a “technical incident”.
Four people were killed on Sunday in clashes between security forces and supporters of the opposition in Douala.
Within hours of the official announcement, Tchiroma wrote on Facebook that two people had been killed after shots were fired at civilians outside his home in the northern city of Garoua. He gave no other details and the incident has yet to be independently verified.
“Shooting point-blank at your own brothers – I can’t help but wonder if you’re mercenaries,” he posted. “Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary. What blatant impunity.”
Tchiroma had claimed victory two days after the election, which took place on 12 October, publishing a tally that showed he had secured 54.8 % of the votes, to Biya’s 31.3%. His team said his victory was based on results representing 80% of the electorate that they had collated.
He also called for protests if the constitutional council were to announce “falsified and distorted results”. The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement dismissed his claims, urging him to wait for the official results.
The situation has been particularly volatile in Tchiroma’s home town of Garoua, where youths on motorcycles gathered with crude weapons outside his residence in anticipation of his possible arrest.
There have also been protests in the capital, Yaoundé, as well as in neighbourhoods in other parts of Cameroon including Bafoussam and Douala, two of the country’s most populous cities. In a video posted on social media at the weekend, Tchiroma claimed security personnel had attempted to breach his residence to arrest him.
Biya is only the second head of state to lead Cameroon since independence from France in 1960. He has ruled with an iron fist, repressing all political and armed opposition, and holding on to power through social upheaval, economic disparity and separatist violence.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
