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3mo ago

Cameroon Opens Campaign With Biya Abroad, Opposition Still Divided

His absence raises fresh questions about competitiveness following the court’s removal of rival Maurice Kamto.

President Paul Biya's office said he had travelled again to Switzerland
High-profile government critic Maurice Kamto has denounced the ban on him running for the presidency
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Overview

  • Campaigning begins Saturday for the October 12 presidential vote as 92-year-old Paul Biya seeks an eighth seven-year term.
  • Biya left Cameroon on Sunday for a "private trip to Europe" and, according to diplomatic sources, is in Geneva after skipping his scheduled UN General Assembly appearance.
  • The Constitutional Court barred opposition figure Maurice Kamto in August, and he now says efforts to unite seven of the 11 remaining contenders failed.
  • Cameroonian diaspora groups demonstrated in Geneva on Friday to denounce Biya’s latest stay in Switzerland, with organizers originally mobilizing over Kamto’s exclusion.
  • Biya’s daughter Brenda briefly urged voters on TikTok not to support him before deleting the video and issuing an apology days later.