Cameroon’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, has secured a controversial eighth term in office, winning 53.7 percent of the vote, according to official results released by the country’s Constitutional Council on Monday.
His main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government minister, came second with 35.2 percent, the council announced.
Tchiroma had earlier declared himself the winner two days after the October 12 presidential election, claiming he secured 54.8 percent of the votes compared to 31.3 percent for Biya.
He subsequently called for nationwide demonstrations to protest what he described as massive electoral fraud.
The disputed results have already triggered violence.
On Sunday, four people were killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters in the economic capital, Douala, according to the region’s governor.
Protesters told AFP that security forces initially fired tear gas before resorting to live ammunition to disperse crowds.
Since last week, thousands of Tchiroma’s supporters have taken to the streets demanding that the government respect what they claim to be the “true results” of the election.
Most political observers had predicted Biya’s re-election, citing his decades-long grip on power and a political system that critics say is tightly controlled by the ruling elite.
At 92, Biya remains the world’s oldest serving head of state and one of Africa’s longest-ruling leaders.
He has been in power since 1982, making him only the second president of Cameroon since the country’s independence from France in 1960.
Throughout his rule, Biya has been accused of repressing opposition voices, curbing dissent, and maintaining power through a mix of political control, economic patronage, and heavy-handed security tactics amid recurring separatist violence and social unrest.
