Cameroonians Head to Polls as Presidential Vote Kicks Off

2025-10-12 07:55:14

(MENAFN) Cameroonians headed to the polls early Sunday as voting began nationwide in a high-stakes presidential election, with tensions running high in the country’s conflict-hit Anglophone regions.

Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and will remain open until 6 p.m. (1700 GMT), according to the electoral commission Elections Cameroon (ELECAM). More than 8 million registered voters are expected to cast ballots at over 31,000 polling stations.

The race pits long-standing incumbent President Paul Biya against nine opposition challengers in a single-round vote. Under Cameroon’s Electoral Code, the candidate with the highest number of votes will win outright — no majority is required.

Final results are to be declared by the Constitutional Council within 15 days of the vote's conclusion, in accordance with the law.

However, electoral uncertainty looms in the volatile Northwest and Southwest regions, where armed separatist groups have threatened to derail the process.

“Voting is still up in the air in the restive Southwest and Northwest Anglophone regions, where armed separatists have vowed to disrupt the polls,” an ELECAM official in the Southwest told media.

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