In Cameroon, Hopes for Change Have Been Stifled
In October’s election, Cameroon’s 92-year-old president, Paul Biya, retained his four-decade-long grip on power. Electoral fraud and repression trap Cameroon in a system inherited from colonization, designed to serve foreign interests and a small elite.
Even as Cameroon gained formal independence in 1960, colonial power France moved to keep loyalists in charge. This October’s presidential election showed that even two-thirds of a century later, the same interests have maintained control. (Photo by Christophe Simon / Pool / AFP via Getty Images)
In Cameroon, history seems frozen in time. For forty-three years, power has had only one face: that of Paul Biya. The ninety-two-year-old president has just secured an eighth term in office, which should extend his reign for another seven years. Officially, he won 53.7 percent support in the October 12 presidential election, against 35.2 percent for his main opponent, the seventy-nine-year-old former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary.
Yet, this “reelection” hasn’t gone down well. Many Cameroonians are deeply weary, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary is challenging the results. He denounces massive fraud both during and after the contest, some of which involved agents of electoral supervisory board Elecam and was filmed by voters on the ground. He claims victory — and has urged his supporters to take to the streets.
In the north, his stronghold, as well as in the west, his instructions have been heeded. Several cities have seen demonstrations, as well as “dead city” operations on Monday, November 3, which paralyzed economic activity.
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