The electoral commission’s chief, ELECAM, made the announcement at a press conference on Saturday, reading out a list of 13 candidates who had not already been chosen. The exclusion was not justified, and those who were not on the list had two days to appeal.
Kamto, 71, was Biya’s most formidable rival in previous elections when he officially declared his candidacy last week. In an election marred by allegations of fraud and low voter turnout, he won with more than 70% of the vote, while Biya, who appears on the electoral list, came in second with 14 percent of the vote.
Kamto contested the party’s candidate, the communist group MANIDEM. Kamto contested the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), which he founded in 2012, in the 2018 election.
Kamto had been chosen by MANIDEM for this year’s election.
Following the release of the list of candidates approved on Saturday, there were heightened fears of protests and unrest. The electoral council had received 83 names.
Security personnel were stationed close to the ELECAM headquarters, along major thoroughfares in Yaounde, the capital, and in Douala, the economic hub.
On Friday, the UN Department of Safety and Security warned that the announcement might cause protests in the capital.
In the days following any objections to the provisional list, the final list of candidates will be released.
Despite rumors that his health is failing, Biya, 92, the oldest head of state in the world, announced last month that he would run for re-election on October 12. He has almost half of his life spent in power since 1982.
Cameroon has been affected by Biya’s rule forever. His administration has faced a number of challenges, including allegations of corruption and a deadly secessionist conflict in the country’s English-speaking provinces, which have forced thousands of students away from school.
Source: Aljazeera
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