Issa Tchiroma Bakary calls on 92-year-old president to accept end of reign, although results have yet to be released
The Cameroonian opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner of the 12 October presidential election and called on the incumbent, Paul Biya, to accept the end of his 43-year rule.
“Our victory is clear, it must be respected,” Tchiroma said in a video statement on Facebook with the national flag in the background, before directly addressing 92-year-old Biya: “We call on the regime in power to show greatness and to honour the truth of the ballot box with a long-awaited gesture: that phone call of congratulations, which will demonstrate the political maturity of our nation and the future strength of our democracy.”
Elecam, the Cameroonian electoral commission, has yet to release the results, which are expected at the latest by 26 October, after validation by the constitutional council.
Supporters on both sides are claiming victory based on images circulating on social media of blackboards and papers tallying the results. While it is permitted to publish tally sheets from individual polling stations, it is illegal to announce the overall result of the vote before the constitutional council. “This is the red line that must not be crossed,” the territorial administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji, told a press conference on Sunday.
