By Ghazali Ibrahim
In a bold move that has challenged the longest rule in Cameroon’s political history, opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary declared himself the winner of the Oct. 12 2025 presidential election calling on long‑time president Paul Biya, 92, to concede after 43 years in power.
Speaking from his hometown of Garoua, Tchiroma said the results of the vote, though not yet formally released clearly favored his bid for change.
“The people have made their choice, and that choice must be respected,” he asserted in a video address posted on social media.
He urged Biya to make a congratulatory call, calling it a symbolic gesture of political maturity and democratic progress.
The resilience of Tchiroma’s campaign, once a senior official in Biya’s government, has been one of its defining features.
After resigning in June 2025 from his ministerial post, he rallied under the banner of his party, the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), promising a transition to rebuild institutions he says Biya’s regime had broken.
Despite the opposition’s bold claim, final results remain pending confirmation by the Constitutional Council, which has a legal deadline of Oct. 26 to validate the outcome.
Tchiroma’s declaration has already stoked concerns of unrest. In one incident, the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) reported that an office in Dschang was set ablaze amid escalating tensions.
Since taking office in 1982 and eliminating term limits in 2008, President Biya has maintained a firm grip on power.
Analysts view him as the front‑runner for a potential eighth term, despite his age and frequent absences from the public eye.
With the election still outwardly unresolved, Cameroon now stands at a crossroads, between the possibility of dramatic change and the continuation of a long‑standing order.
