YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon
Cameroon's 92-year-old president has won a controversial eighth term, in a fiercely disputed election.
Paul Biya, who is
the world's oldest head of state, won 53.7% of the vote, compared to the 35.2%
of opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the Constitutional Council declared.
Before the
announcement, Tchiroma Bakary - a former Biya ally - insisted he had won the
election, but the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) dismissed
his claim.
The election,
held on 12 October, has been marred with deadly violence, and in recent days,
hundreds of Tchiroma Bakary's supporters have defied protest bans in several
cities, and clashed with security forces.
Biya thanked
voters for "once again" trusting him.
"I sincerely
hope that, together, we resolutely undertake to build a peaceful, united and
prosperous Cameroon," he said in a statement.
On Sunday, at
least four people were killed during protests in Cameroon's economic capital of
Douala.
The regional
governor, Samuel Dieudonné Diboua, said police posts had come under attack and
security forces had defended themselves.
The unrest
continued on Monday, when a number of people were shot dead near Tchiroma
Bakary's residence in the city of Garoua, a local journalist on the scene told
the BBC.
Around the same
time, the opposition leader wrote on Facebook that shots were being fired at
civilians gathered outside his home. He later claimed that snipers had been
stationed at the house across from his, and were "firing at point-blank
range at the people".
The authorities
have not yet commented on these reports.
Protesters were
denouncing what they said was a plan by the ruling CPDM, to "steal the
victory" from Tchiroma Bakary.
The situation is
so tense in the capital, Yaoundé, that almost all shops and schools have
remained closed, while most civil servants and office workers stayed home.
In total, 10
candidates were in the running for the presidential office, including former
Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari.
Voter turnout was
58%.
At least 10
petitions alleging electoral malpractice have been rejected by the
Constitutional Council.
Residents in
Yaoundé have been voicing their opinions on Biya's controversial victory.
"We are at
the beginning of another nightmare," Amungwa Nicodemus told our correspondent.
"The economy
is declining, corruption is endemic, a lot of things are going wrong."
Another resident,
Abolo Denis, urged Cameroonians to accept the result, saying that peace is of
the utmost importance.
"What struck
me first, after the proclamation of the results, was the silence - graveyard
silence," said Vivian Muma, in the northern city of Bamenda.
"The silence
tells it all. Cameroonian people decided, but those who [make] the decisions,
they decided otherwise," she said.
The governing
party has hailed Biya's victory "under the sign of greatness and
hope" in online posts.
Biya, who came to
power in 1982, is rarely seen in public and is known for spending time outside
Africa in Swiss hotels. These long absences coupled with his advanced age has,
in the past, led to rumours he was dead.
While his
leadership has been praised for the expansion of schools and public
universities, and his handling of the Bakassi dispute - which saw the oil-rich
peninsula handed to Cameroon instead of Nigeria - his tenure has also faced
criticisms.
A violent
separatist insurgency in the English-speaking west has been running for almost
a decade, unemployment stands at 40% for the under-35s, roads and hospitals are
crumbling, and freedom of speech has been limited.
Analysts have
warned in recent days that Cameroon, a once peaceful country, could descend
into political turmoil if the election results did not reflect the will of the
people.
"Biya now
has a notably shaky mandate given many of his own citizens don't believe he won
the election," Murithi Mutiga, Africa Program Director at the
International Crisis Group, said in a statement.
"We call on Biya to urgently initiate a national mediation to prevent further escalation," he added.
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