2018 Cameroonian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 7 October 2018.[1][2]

2018 Cameroonian presidential election
7 October 2018
Registered6,667,754
Turnout53.85%
 
Nominee Paul Biya Maurice Kamto Cabral Libii
Party RDPC MRC Univers
Popular vote 2,521,934 503,384 221,995
Percentage 71.28% 14.23% 6.28%
Results by department
Biya:      40-50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90%
Kamto:      40-50%      50-60%
Libii:      60-70%
President before election

Paul Biya
RDPC

 Elected President

Paul Biya
RDPC

Background

The previous presidential elections on 9 October 2011 saw incumbent president Paul Biya elected for another seven-year term following a 2008 constitutional amendment that removed term limits, allowing Biya to run again.[3] 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. The worst of the unrest occurred in Manyu where several Western countries issued travel warnings to their citizens.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]

On 15 June 2018, the BBC 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.[7][8] In July, President Biya announced that the election would be held on October 7, 2018.[9]

Electoral system

The President of Cameroon is elected by first-past-the-post voting; the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner with no requirement to achieve a majority.[10]

Candidates

Accepted

Did not run

Results
CandidatePartyVotes%
Paul BiyaCameroon People's Democratic Movement2,521,93471.28
Maurice KamtoCameroon Renaissance Movement503,38414.23
Cabral LibiiUnivers222,0206.28
Joshua OsihSocial Democratic Front118,7063.36
Adamou Ndam NjoyaCameroon Democratic Union61,2201.73
Garga Haman AdjiAlliance for Democracy and Development55,0481.56
Frankline Njifor AfanwiNational Citizens' Movement of Cameroon23,6870.67
Serge Espoir MatombaUnited People for Social Renovation19,7040.56
Akere MunaNow!12,2620.35
Total3,537,965100.00
Valid votes3,537,96598.53
Invalid/blank votes52,7161.47
Total votes3,590,681100.00
Registered voters/turnout6,667,75453.85
Source: Camerlex

Aftermath

On 28 January 2019 Maurice Kamto was arrested in Douala while at a supporter's house.[20]

References
  1. Cameroon: Calls grow for Biya to run for presidency in 2018 Africa News, 23 March 2017
  2. New Party To Challenge Biya In 2018 Presidential Election Archived 2018-09-25 at the Wayback Machine Cameroon Post, 23 May 2017
  3. Cameroon parliament extends Biya's term limit France 24, 11 April 2008
  4. U.S., U.K. and Canada issue travel warning for Cameroon's southwest region Africa News, 23 December 2017
  5. Cameroon Opposition MPs Demand Open Debate on Anglophone Crisis VOA News, 24 November 2017
  6. Cameroon President Vows to 'Deal' with Separatists Voice of America, 1 January 2018
  7. "Africa this week: Mother of Boko Haram leader laments his 'bad' behaviour". BBC News. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  8. "Cameroon seeks to delay elections - 3newsgh". 3newsgh. 2018-06-16. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  9. "Cameroon to hold presidential election on October 7". News24. July 7, 2018. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  10. Cameroon IFES
  11. "Liste des candidats à l'élection présidentielle 2018". August 7, 2018.
  12. FEATURE: As Paul Biya Looks to Running Again in 2018, Has He delivered on his 2011 electoral promises? Cameroon Journal, 21 August 2017
  13. Cameroun: Cabral Libii sera candidate à la présidentielle s'il est le gagnant de la primaire CMRB
  14. Cameroun : qui est Serge Espoir Matomba, candidat déclaré à la présidentielle 2018? Jeune Afrique, 13 June 2017
  15. "Joshua Osih is SDF Presidential candidate". Journal du Cameroun. February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  16. Samuel Eto'o set to challenge Paul Biya in 2018 Archived 2018-01-12 at the Wayback Machine Cameroon Concord, 20 July 2017
  17. Cameroun : qui sont les candidats déclarés à la présidentielle de 2018? Jeune Afrique, 25 October 2017
  18. Cameroun – Akere Muna : « Pourquoi je suis candidat » Jeune Afrique, 10 October 2017
  19. Bernard NJONGA se raconte : "Après 30 ans de lutte citoyenne, Je Continue..." Believe in Cameroon, 22 December 2016
  20. "Cameroon arrests opposition leader who claims he won 2018 election". The Guardian. January 29, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
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