Cameroon’s opposition challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary claimed election victory on Tuesday against incumbent President Paul Biya, who has been in power for 43 years, although official results for the weekend vote are not expected for two weeks.
“Our victory is clear. It must be respected,” Tchiroma declared in a post on Facebook.
He urged the government to “accept the truth of the ballot box” or “plunge the country into turmoil” and promised to publish detailed results by region.
“The people have chosen,” he added.
While the tally sheets are allowed to be published, final official results must be announced by the country’s Constitutional Council — a “red line that must not be crossed”, according to the government.
In the 2018 presidential election, opposition challenger Maurice Kamto declared himself winner the day after the vote.
He was subsequently arrested and his supporters’ rallies were dispersed with tear gas and water cannon, with dozens arrested.
Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, is vying for an eighth term to extend his decades in power.
But former employment minister Tchiroma generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters in the central African nation and a duel had been emerging, with supporters on both sides claiming victory.
Images of sheets and blackboards tallying the results have circulated on social media, fuelling the victory claims among both Biya and Tchiroma’s camps.
