Cameroon Bars Opposition Leader Kamto from Preside...

Cameroon Bars Opposition Leader Kamto from Presidential Race

Cameroon’s top electoral body has disqualified leading opposition figure Maurice Kamto from contesting the upcoming presidential election, a move that has drawn widespread concern and heightened tensions across the country.

The elections agency, ELECAM, released the final list of approved candidates on Saturday, confirming that Kamto—President Paul Biya’s most prominent challenger—was excluded without any explanation. Thirteen candidates were cleared to run, including Biya, who is seeking yet another term in office.

Kamto, a former justice minister who secured second place in the 2018 election with 14% of the vote, has two days to file an appeal. That election was fraught with irregularities and saw historically low voter turnout, but Biya was declared the winner with over 70%.

Now aged 92, Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982, making him the world's oldest head of state still in power. Despite widespread speculation about his health, he announced in June that he would run again in the October 12 election.

Biya’s decades-long tenure has been marked by allegations of widespread corruption and an ongoing separatist conflict in the English-speaking regions, which has displaced thousands and disrupted access to education.