Tension in Cameroon as opposition candidate Tchiroma claims victory over Biya

Cameroon’s political landscape has been thrown into uncertainty after opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary declared himself winner of Sunday’s presidential election, challenging the four-decade rule of President Paul Biya.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Tchiroma asserted that the opposition’s victory was “clear and undeniable,” calling on the government to “accept the truth of the ballot box” to avoid plunging the country into crisis.

“Our victory is clear. It must be respected. The people have chosen,” he said, pledging to publish detailed regional results to back up his claim.

Official results are not expected for at least two weeks, with the Constitutional Council being the only body legally empowered to declare the winner, a process the government has described as a “red line that must not be crossed.”

Tchiroma’s declaration has stirred comparisons with the aftermath of the 2018 election, when opposition candidate Maurice Kamto also claimed victory ahead of the official announcement. Kamto was later arrested, and security forces violently broke up demonstrations by his supporters.

President Biya, 92, who has ruled Cameroon for 43 years, is seeking yet another term amid growing public fatigue and calls for political renewal.

The former employment minister’s campaign has gained surprising momentum, particularly among young voters and urban dwellers frustrated by years of economic hardship and limited political freedoms.

Meanwhile, social media has been awash with images of tally sheets and blackboards showing unofficial results from polling stations, fuelling competing claims of victory by both Biya’s ruling party and Tchiroma’s supporters.

Analysts warn that the duelling victory claims could heighten political tension in the Central African nation, where dissent is often met with state repression.

The Constitutional Council is expected to begin collating results later this week, but for now, Cameroon remains on edge as the rival camps dig in.