Since he declared success over President Paul Biya, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the candidate for the opposition in Cameroon, is about to make h...
Since he declared success over President Paul Biya, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the candidate for the opposition in Cameroon, is about to make history.
Remember that Biya has been in power for 43 years. The final results of the election on Sunday won't be out for two weeks.
"It is clear that we won. In a Facebook post, Tchiroma said, "It must be respected."
He warned the government that if they didn't "accept the truth of the ballot box," the country would be "thrown into chaos." He also promised to release detailed results by area.
He also said, "The people have chosen."
The tally sheets can be made public, but the country's Constitutional Council has to announce the final results. The government says this is a "red line that must not be crossed."
Tchiroma was seen as the best candidate to replace Biya in Sunday's polls. He used to be the government spokesman and worked with Biya for 20 years.
After he quit the government in June, his campaign got a lot of support from opposition parties and civic groups, like big crowds.
Maurice Kamto, the candidate from the opposition, called himself the winner of the 2018 presidential election the day after the vote.
After that, he was arrested, and dozens of people were arrested at protests for him that were broken up with tear gas and water cannons.
But recently, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji said that only the Constitutional Council can say who won and that announcing the results without permission would be seen as "high treason."
Cameroon's election law says that results can be made public and posted at each voting station, but the final counts must be approved by the Constitutional Council. According to Reuters, the Council has until October 26 to announce the outcome.
Biya wants to become the world's oldest head of state to stay in power for another eight years.