Cameroon: Constitutional Council rejects last electoral appeals October 18 /update 2

Event

On Thursday, October 18, the Constitutional Council rejected the last of the 18 petitions calling for the presidential elections to be re-held due to alleged electoral irregularities at some polling stations and related fraud. These rejections consequently clear all legal objections to the poll.

Initial results indicated that incumbent President Paul Biya had won the October 7 presidential election with 71.28 percent of the vote. The Constitutional Court has until Sunday to release the official results, which will likely confirm the initial ones.

Protests and violence - including attacks by separatist militants - are likely throughout Cameroon in the coming hours and days, especially in its English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions. Tensions were already running high in the Northwest region on October 18, where suspected separatist militants set fire to the home of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) opposition leader, Ni John Fru Ndi, and kidnapped his sister. His chauffeur was attacked in a separate incident on October 13.

A continued heavy security presence can be expected throughout major urban centers, especially in the above regions, in the coming days.

Context

Eighteen requests, including some from all three major opposition candidates, were sent to the Constitutional Court to annul all or part of the October 7 vote. All candidates cited incidents of voter fraud and vote-rigging; Cameroon's electoral body has denied all claims of election interference.

Advice

Individuals in Cameroon are advised to closely monitor developments to the situation and avoid any rallies, protests, or other large public gatherings due to the potential for unrest. Abide by all instructions issued by the local authorities and your home government.