Presidential elections were held in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

on 7 October 2018.

Background

The previous presidential elections on 9 October 2011 saw incumbent president

Paul Biya Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo, 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has been serving as the second president of Cameroon since 1982. He was previously the fifth Prime Minister of Cameroon, prime minister under Pre ...

elected for another seven-year term following a 2008 constitutional amendment that removed term limits, allowing Biya to run again. Going into the 2018 elections, Cameroon experienced unrest in the English-speaking portions of the country where separatists have attempted to create the state of

Ambazonia Ambazonia, alternatively the Federal Republic of Ambazonia or the State of Ambazonia, is a political entity proclaimed by Anglophone separatists seeking independence from Cameroon. The separatists claim that Ambazonia should consist of the N ...

. The worst of the unrest occurred in Manyu where several Western countries issued travel warnings to their citizens. The Social Democratic Front, a party that traditionally performs well in the English-speaking portions of the country, has been vocal in their criticism of the handling of the unrest. Biya has responded to the unrest by stating that he would like to see faster progress made on decentralization reforms that were begun in 2010 so that local regions would have more self governance. On 15 June 2018, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

obtained a copy of a letter from Paul Biya to the leader of Cameroon's Senate, appearing to request that the elections be postponed until October 2019. In July, President Biya announced that the election would be held on October 7, 2018.

Electoral system

The

President of Cameroon The president of Cameroon is the executive head of state and de facto head of government of Cameroon and is the commander in chief of the Cameroon Armed Forces. The authority of the state is exercised both by the president and by the Parliamen ...

is elected by

first-past-the-post voting First-past-the-post (FPTP)—also called choose-one, first-preference plurality (FPP), or simply plurality—is a single-winner voting rule. Voters mark one candidate as their favorite, or first-preference, and the candidate with more first- ...

; the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner with no requirement to achieve a majority.

Candidates

Accepted

* Garga Haman Adji, leader of the Alliance for Democracy and Development *

, incumbent president and candidate for the

Cameroon People's Democratic Movement The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM; , RDPC) is the ruling political party in Cameroon. Previously known as the Cameroonian National Union, which had dominated Cameroon politics since independence in the 1960s, it was renamed in 1985 ...

Maurice Kamto Maurice Kamto (born 15 February 1954 in Bafoussam) is a Cameroonian politician, Jurist, law professor and barrister. He is one of the founders of the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC). Career He was a List of members of the Intern ...

, candidate for the

Cameroon Renaissance Movement The Cameroon Renaissance Movement (, MRC) is a political party in Cameroon. History The party was established in August 2012 by Maurice Kamto. It won a single seat in the Cameroonian parliamentary election, 2013, 2013 parliamentary elections. ...

Cabral Libii Cabral Libii Li Ngué known as Cabral Libii is a journalist, law instructor, and Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Cameroon, elected in February 2020. Early life and education Cabral Libii was born on 29 March 1980 in Ekoamaen ...

, journalist and law professor at University of Yaoundé II; candidate for Univers *, Douala city councilman and leader of United People for Social Renovation *

Akere Muna Akere Tabeng Muna (born 18 August 1952) is a Cameroonian lawyer who is currently a member of the African Union High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, chaired by H.E. Thabo Mbeki, and Co-Chair of the Common African Position on A ...

, candidate for Now! *, candidate for the National Citizens' Movement of Cameroon * Adamou Ndam Njoya, candidate for the

Cameroon Democratic Union The Cameroon Democratic Union () is a political party in Cameroon. It was founded by Adamou Ndam Njoya, a former Minister of National Education under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, on 26 April 1991. The CDU boycotted the March 1992 parliamentary e ...

Joshua Osih Joshua Osih (born ''Joshua Nambangi Osih''; 9 December 1968) is a Cameroonian politician. He was the vice president of the main opposition party in Cameroon, the Social Democratic Front (Cameroon) (SDF), and the first Anglophone Cameroonian to se ...

, selected as the Social Democratic Front candidate on 24 February 2018

Did not run

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian Association football, football administrator and former Football player, player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation. He is often regarded as one of the ...

; the former footballer was rumoured to be considering running. *

Dieudonné M'bala M'bala Dieudonné M'bala M'bala (; born 11 February 1966), known professionally as Dieudo, is a French comedian, actor, and political activist. He has been convicted for hate speech, advocating terrorism, and slander in Belgium, France, and Switzerlan ...

, French comedian of Cameroonian descent *

Bernard Muna Bernard Muna (27 May 1940 – 6 October 2019) was a Cameroonian lawyer, magistrate and politician. He served as Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 1997 to 2002. He was a candidate for the 2011 Presidential ele ...

*Bernard Njonga; leader of Believe in CameroonCameroun : qui sont les candidats déclarés à la présidentielle de 2018?
Jeune Afrique, 25 October 2017

Results

Aftermath

On 28 January 2019

was arrested in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...

while at a supporter's house.

References

{{Cameroonian elections Presidential elections in Cameroon

Presidential Presidential may refer to: * "Presidential" (song), a 2005 song by YoungBloodZ * Presidential Airways (charter), an American charter airline based in Florida * Presidential Airways (scheduled), an American passenger airline active in the 1980s * ...