On August 5, Cameroon’s Constitutional Council backed the electoral commission’s decision to bar Maurice Kamto, a key opposition leader and challenger to incumbent President Paul Biya, from the country’s upcoming presidential elections. The move threatens the credibility of the electoral process and has triggered yet another crackdown on political opposition.
Cameroon’s electoral commission rejected Kamto’s candidacy last month, claiming that the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy party (Mouvement africain pour la nouvelle indépendance et la démocratie, MANIDEM), which had backed him, had also sponsored a second candidate. However, MANIDEM’s president said his party only supported Kamto and that the electoral commission’s decision was arbitrary.
Kamto appealed the decision to the Constitutional Council, which rejected his appeal as “unfounded.” It also rejected 34 petitions from other prospective challengers and its rulings cannot be appealed.
“The decision of the Constitutional Council is based on political rather than legal grounds,” Hyppolite Meli Tiakouang, a member of Kamto’s legal team, told Human Rights Watch. “Kamto is a victim of fraudulent maneuvers that aim at shutting down any opposition, laying the foundations for unfair elections.”
Kamto’s removal sparked criticism among his supporters and party members who have been holding marches and peaceful protests across the capital, Yaoundé, since July 26. Security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds, including dozens of Kamto’s supporters, who had gathered in front of the Constitutional Council on August 4. They have detained at least 35 of Kamto’s supporters since July 26.
Those detained, including seven women, are being held at various police and gendarmerie stations across Yaoundé on charges including public disorder and rebellion. Their lawyers called the charges politically motivated.
The decision to bar Kamto from the presidential race reflects the government’s long-standing intolerance for any opposition and dissent and comes amid an intensified crackdown on opponents activists, and lawyers ahead of the elections slated for later this year.
Excluding Kamto undermines the rights of Cameroonians to participate in free and fair elections. He should be allowed to run, and people should be able to choose freely. The authorities should stop their crackdown on the opposition and immediately release all those arrested for political reasons, lest the elections be deemed unfair before the campaigning even starts.
