Maurice Kamto excluded from Cameroon’s election

The Cameroon Constitutional Council has confirmed the country’s election body’s decision to exclude opposition leader Morris Kamto from the October 12 presidential election.

While Firebrand’s political figure was eliminated, 92-year-old President Paul Breck, whose candidacy also faced opposition, was cleared to run for what was his eighth term in the Petrol-rich Central African nation.

If he had been elected for a seven -year term, he could remain in power until he was 100 years old.

Kamto was expelled, as the rival faction of the party manidem, who approved it, presented another person as a candidate, emphasizing the interior.

His exclusion has caused outrage, with his lawyers describing his rejection of his petition as more politically than a legal move.

Of the 83 candidates who submitted their requests to the electoral body, only 12 were approved.

The reasons given by the Elecam election for disqualification of 71 range from incomplete files, non -payment of the required deposit, to multiple applications from the same party.

Of all competitors, the six are considered as the main contenders:

1. Paul Pay

At 92, Paul Beh is the oldest head of state of an employee in the world. It has been in power since 43 years since 1982. Bean leads the ruling party of CPDM, which dominates the political scene. He is considered a favorite, now that his main rival Kamto is off the road.

The veteran politician never lost elections after the return of multi-party policy in 1990. However, his victories were eclipsed by accusations of charge with voices that his party and the government are constantly denying.

Deciding his intention to run, I am saying that his eighth term will focus on the well -being of women and young people.

2. Star on White Bus

78-year-old Belo Buba Maigari is an experienced politician who is native to Cameroon’s rich northern region.

He is the president of the National Union Party for Democracy and Progress (NUDP), founded in 1990. He serves in the governments of the two Cameroon -Aahmadu Ahijo and Paul Beauty presidents.

In fact, he was the first prime minister of Bean between 1982 and 1983. Since 1997, Maigari created an alliance with the BIYA CPDM party, which helped the last clinch significant votes from the north.

However, this political marriage ended in June after pressure from his party to run independently.

While serving as the State Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Maigari declared his resignation and declared himself a candidate against Breck, whom he also faced in the 1992 presidential election.

3. Isa Tchiroma Bakary

Another former ally of Beh, whose candidacy came as a surprise, is 75-year-old Isa Tehiroma Bakari. Like Maigari, it is from the northern part of the country and has an impact on helping BIYA to provide the votes of the region.

After a 20-year stay in various government roles, the charm finally pulled the plug at the time with the 92-year-old leader, reconciling himself from his role as Minister of Employment and Vocational Training to announce his candidacy.

The Ciroma, which leads the party of the National Rescue Front of Cameroon (CNSF), criticized the style of management of the beating and depended on its presidential proposal to promote the system he described as “suffocation”.

4. CABRAL LIBII

Cabral Libii, President of the Cameroonian National Reconciliation Party (PCRN), is a life member of parliament who makes his second attempt to get the best work in the country.

In 2018, he was the youngest of the nine presidential candidates, only 38 years old, in third place with 6% of the vote.

Libi’s candidacy during this year’s elections was challenged by PCRN founder Robert Conon, which disputes the legislator’s legitimacy to lead the party.

However, the Constitutional Council rejected the Con’s request and confirmed the decision of the election body to allow Libi to stand up.

5. Acrae Muna

Aker Muna was a candidate in the 2018 presidential election, but withdrew at the last moment and threw her weight behind Kamto. This time around, Muna, an unwavering international lawyer to combat corruption, says he wants to challenge a beat himself.

The 72-year-old is from a family of his politicians, his fateful Father Solomon Tanden Muna served as Prime Minister of Western Cameroon after Independence, Vice President of the then Federal Republic of Cameroon and chairman of the National Assembly.

As a speaker, Solomon Muna swore to Bih when she took over as a president after Ahmadu Ahijo resigned.

Muna promises to deliver the bilingual side of corruption and the poor governance, for which he believes have polluted their image on the international stage.

6. Joshua I have

Joshua OSIH jumped into the presidential race for the second time after its first attempt in 2018 was useless.

He heads the party of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), inheriting late Late opposition leader John Frun. SDF was the main opposition clothing in the country, but its influence later decreased, exacerbated by the fight and expulsion of several party members in 2023.

The 56 -year -old OSIH became the fourth in the 2018 polls by 3%, but hopes to beat Biyan through a promise of social and institutional reforms.

For many decades, the President has been able to maintain a grip of power firmly, which makes it difficult for him to lose election.

The decision of political heavy weights Belo Buba Maigari and Isa Tsiroma Bakari to challenge him seems to be more difficult for life, but some analysts believe that they do not pose a significant threat to the beating.

Dr. Pippi Hugs, a policy analyst at the Cameroonian Institute for the NKAFU Political Institute, claims that their union with this regime is reducing their confidence with the voters of the opposition.

“The Cameroons need more than just resignation to trust them,” he told the BBC. “They both were with the system and watched the nation suffering.”

In addition, Hugs suggested that the two northern candidates could be part of a political plot organized by the regime.

However, employees of the ruling party presented the gap as real, admitting that CPDM could fight to get as many votes from the north as before.

Given the exclusion of Kamto, the strongest Bi’S athlete in 2018, the third ranked Libi may claim to be his main threat this year.

Although he received only 6% of the vote, he has since been praised the political evolution of Libi since then.

He made his party win five seats in parliament and seven local councils during the 2020 legislative and municipal elections. After becoming a member of the Parliament in the trial, he challenged the government on key political issues, promising extensive changes if he took over the reins of power.

However, Dr. Hugs says that Liby’s vision is opaque, pointing to Akere Muna as a more convincing candidate with a much more clear project for the nation of nearly 30 million people.

“Muna has a wealth of international experience and diplomatic character, and since then the nation has needed now,” he said as he praises the five -year transitional plan of the famous lawyer to “return the nation on the way.”

Historically, Cameroon’s opposition was fragmented especially during elections, with analysts saying that this was impaired disadvantaged.

Before this year’s presidential election, there is a lot of talk about the need to oppose the unification and harmonization of the strategies that they have to take. But with each candidate to give priority to their own interests, it remains unclear whether most – let alone all – will work together, despite the risk that this can help the president.

“This may be the end of their political careers or their parties, if they do not come together,” said civil society leader Felix Agbor Bala.

“Kamto and others have to look for one of the opposition that can carry the stick – and they have to put the nation first, rise above their personal ego to seek a consensus candidate who can give CPDM on October 12,” he told the BBC.

Dr. Hugs agrees that Kamto must use his influence to gather support for an opposition coalition, as it is now out of the race.

He insists that “change should not (only) come with him (Kamto), but change can come through him.”

He added that the opposition coalition was possible and referred to a meeting at which opposition data was present on August 2 in the city of Fumban in the western region.

Prince Michael Ecoso, President of the United Socialist Democratic Party (USDP), who participated in the meeting, told the BBC that the goal was to lay the foundation for a “consensus candidate”.

Although no specific candidate has been set, the criteria for consideration have been set.

“We want a figure who will respond to the aspirations of the Cameroons, someone who is flexible to work with others, someone who is bilingual and capable of mobilizing other candidates and political participants,” Ecoso said.

In the 1992 presidential election, opposition leader John Frun was supported by the Union for change, a coalition of political parties and civil society organizations.

Although he was not the only candidate for the opposition, analysts say the coalition helped him get 36% of the vote – just shy at 40% on Beh.

It was the closest one ever reached the beating. FRU NDI even claimed to win, but authorities rejected the allegations of rigging and confirmed BIYA as a winner.

Many believe that if the opposition does not unite together, as in 1992, I can have an easy journey to the presidency.

“He has experience, human resources and the system in his favor,” says Dr. Hugs.