S/Electing Cameroun’s Next Dictator

“If you believe that Biya goes to an election to lose, then have your head examined.” These are the words of a Cameroonian activists, a former prison graduate of one of Cameroun’s dungeons in the political Capital Yaoundé. Arrested several times for calling for meaningful reforms in Cameroon, many like John (whose real names are concealed for security reasons), feel the presidential election of October 12, 2025 in Cameroon is a sham. Most of the candidates are without any political representation which creates a daunting governing process. 92-year-old Paul Biya, John says has already rigged the system by postponing legislative elections, virtually short-circuiting the democratic calendar which is supposed to commence with legislative elections. Respecting the calendar would have given the presidential aspirants, most of whom are political neophytes an opportunity to build a truly organic governance process.

Senators in Cameroon are elected by indirect suffrage – by councilors, all of whom were at the end of their mandates when the senate elections were held last March 25, 2018. Of the 100 Senate seats, 70 are elected while the president appoints 30. Currently Biya’s ruling Cameroun Peoples’ Democratic Movement (CPDM), party has an overdose majority of 93 senators. To show his disdain for democracy and to have an indisputable direct influence on the activities of the body, Mr. Biya personally appointed the speaker of the Senate.

While the global media has focused on the elections, aspirants challenging the elusive Paul Biya, have equally shied away from explaining how they intend to govern, as the country’s institutions are manned by staunch loyalists appointed by Mr. Biya. This view is shared by Peter, former journalist who covered elections in Cameroon, and now lives in Canada. “Most of the so-called aspirants are enablers and “legitimizers” of the tyranny in Cameroun”. The world is talking about elections, with no regard for the conditions under which such elections will hold. Biya and his CPDM, Peter states have never won any elections in Cameroon, and will never win a free and fair election. The frustrated former journalist says he expects Mr. Biya to pay some foreign irrelevant personalities from some pseudo organizations to pronounce the elections to be free and fair. “How can they be free when he appoints every civil servant in Cameroun including governors, election officials right down to school principals?”. Such appointees Peter insists are under enormous pressure to secure victories in their various regions at all cost to maintain their positions.

While all the aspirants agree that it is time to retire the frail 86-year-old dictator, many have been vague on how they intend to democratically dismantle the tyrannical handiwork of Biya, glued in every facet of Cameroun’s life, for almost half a century, without becoming another dictator. One of the aspirants, Mr. Issa Tchirouma Bakary, has promised to free all political prisoners and reform Cameroon to prepare it for the future. These promised unilateral executive actions by Mr. Tchirouma and the others such as Bello Bouba Bello Maigari, Joshua Osih etc which run afoul democratic principles signals the impending power-grab, unlikely to be relinquished by the new “miraculous” President of Cameroun. This according to Peter, practically lays the ground work for another dictator, who will thus have to also dissolve the CPDM-controlled parliament clogged with old Biya cronies.

Biya’s Grip

Mr. Biya has had a firm grip on the country for almost half a century, altering the constitution to prolong his stay. The latest 1996 constitution is far from being fully implemented, but a provision about presidential term limits has been amended. In an unprecedented move following nationwide demonstrations in which Biya’s security killed scores, On 10 April 2008, Mr. Biya’s controlled national assembly overwhelmingly amended the constitution. Apart from removing presidential term limits, the amendment prescribe immunity from prosecution for any acts the octogenarian might have committed while in office. Despite these guarantees, and now at 92, Mr. Biya is far from relaxing his brutal grip on power.

Rigged Elections with Bogus Election Observers

Since Mr. Biya willy-nilly accepted multiparty politics in 1990, he and his ruling Cameroun People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) continue to choke with victory constipation at all elections while all contenders cry foul. To embellish his image globally, the old fox has embarked on lobbying and fake election observers. In 2005, while election observers such as former Canadian PM, the Roman Catholic Church under Cardinal Christian Tumi, characterized Biya’s 71% victory as “surrounded by fraud like previous ones”, the dictator was up with a big bounty for fake election observers from the US. Biya picked up the tab of $80,000 for an Association of Former Members of the U.S Congress headed by a Biya lobbyist at the time, Ronnie Shows. The association despite global assessment of a fraud election, endorsed the outcome claiming: “This is what democracy is about.” A month after, one of the six-members of the delegation signed a new lobbying contract with the dictator to feed global opinion about the democratic strides being undertaken.

Sticking to his old playbook, the octogenarian and cronies produced the same script in 2018. However, new technology was not on their side. With gross apathy and verifiable election rigging, Mr. Biya this time hired some fraudsters from the U.S ranging from farmers in Ohio to a Jewish activists/Journalist in the name of Nurit Greenger, claiming to be representing Transparency International (Click here). A claim debunked by Transparency International. When questioned on social media for the gross deception, the group’s leader was unapologetic and offensive, blocking anybody on social media who challenges their action on the Cameroun election. The state’s propaganda media houses that lied to the country about the independence of the observers have maintained sealed lips on the scam. Despite these documented anti-democratic tactics to cling unto power at all cost, the “democratic” West have stood by the old dictator failing even to formally condemn these totalitarian actions that have deprived the country of some of its citizens and meaningful progress. Mr. Biya for now is more focused on quashing dissent than the well-being of the repressed population. As one French Cameroun blogger puts it, “Putting pressure on Maduro to resign while, coaxing with dictator Biya is bad for western values”.