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Judges in Cameroon have dismissed calls for the partial or total cancellation of the heavily disputed presidential election, saying they will announce the result on Monday.<\/p>\n
Major cities in the country have been rocked by protests, with opposition supporters alleging that the 12 October poll was marred by irregularities, including ballot-stuffing.<\/p>\n
Judges on the Constitutional Council dismissed eight petitions, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.<\/p>\n
Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary has declared himself the winner – a claim rejected by allies of 92-year-old President Paul Biya, who is seeking another seven-year term.<\/p>\n
Biya has been in power for 43 years, and addressed only one campaign rally ahead of the election.<\/p>\n
Tchiroma Bakary, 76, is a former government spokesman who broke ranks with Biya to challenge him for power.<\/p>\n
He refused to file complaints with the Constitutional Council, whose judges have been appointed by Biya, choosing instead to declare himself the “legal and legitimate president”.<\/p>\n
In a video statement posted on social media, Tchiroma Bakary said he had won the election with about 55% of the vote, based on what he waid were returns representing 80% of the electorate.<\/p>\n
“If the Constitutional Council proclaims falsified and truncated results, it will be complicit in a breach of trust,” he declared.<\/p>\n
Tchiroma Bakary also warned that “with their backs against the wall, the people will have no choice but to take their destiny into their own hands and seek victory wherever they can find it”.<\/p>\n
Biya’s ruling party has dismissed his claims of victory and several officials have described it as illegal because only the Constitutional Council can proclaim official results.<\/p>\n
The influential Catholic Church this week urged the judges to ensure that the verdict reflected the will of voters.<\/p>\n
The growing tensions have sparked fears of post-electoral violence in a country already rocked by a separatist conflict in the Anglophone regions and Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North region.<\/p>\n