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2025 Cameroonian presidential election

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2025 Cameroonian presidential election
← 2018 12 October 2025 (2025-10-12) 2032 →
Registered8,082,692
Turnout57.76% (Increase 3.91 pp)
 
Candidate Paul Biya Issa Tchiroma
Party RDPC FSNC
Popular vote 2,474,179 1,622,334
Percentage 53.66% 35.19%
President before election

Paul Biya
RDPC

Elected President

Paul Biya
RDPC

Politics of Cameroon
Constitution
Government
Parliament
Administrative divisions
Elections
Foreign relations
flag Cameroon portal

Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 12 October 2025.[1]

The presidential election resulted in a victory for the incumbent president Paul Biya of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement who according to official published results received 54% of the vote. Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma of the Cameroon National Salvation Front finished second with 35% of the vote.[2]

Background

[edit]

The previous presidential elections on 7 October 2018 saw incumbent president Paul Biya, who has ruled since 1982, elected for another seven-year term following a 2008 constitutional amendment that removed term limits, allowing Biya to run again.[3] Biya's candidacy remained plausible, however, with his declaration of wanting to continue to serve the nation,[4] reaffirming during his 7 October campaign speech in Maroua that he will "never resign...until significant progress has been achieved in this area."[5] His candidacy for the 2025 presidential election caused controversy within the Cameroonian government,[6] while a petition was filed by opposition candidate Akere Muna before the Constitutional Council seeking to disqualify Biya on grounds of the latter's advanced age, recurrent health absences, and presumed dependency on third parties.[7]

Electoral system

[edit]

The President of Cameroon is elected by first-past-the-post voting; the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner with no requirement to achieve a majority.[8] Registration for voting ended on 31 August 2024, with more than seven million people estimated to have signed up.[9]

Candidates

[edit]

A total of 83 people registered their candidacy in the election,[10] of which seven were women.[11] On 26 July, Elections Cameroon (Elecam) released a provisional list of 13 candidates, with Hermine Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya as the only female candidate.[10] Thirty-five appeals were subsequently made by rejected candidates before the Constitutional Council.[12] On 4 August, the Constitutional Council invalidated Hilaire Dzipan's candidacy, leaving 12 candidates on the race.

Approved

[edit]

Declared

[edit]
  • Paul Biya, aged 92, incumbent president and candidate for the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC).[13] In June 2025, a municipal councilor from the town of Monatélé, Leon Theiller, contacted Élécam, the body responsible for elections, to have this probable candidacy declared illegal.[14] Biya declared his candidacy on 13 July[15] and registered through the RDPC's secretary-general, Jean Nkuete, on 17 July.[16]
  • Hermine Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya (UDC),[16] aged 56, is the president of the UDC.[17] She announced her candidacy on 21 February 2025 during the press conference of the Cameroon Democratic Union (UDC), of which she is the president. She served as deputy to the National Assembly for Noun for 13 years from 2007–2020.[18] Despite winning in 2020, Tomaïno gave up her seat as a deputy and chose to become municipal councillor and subsequently mayor of Foumban. She was elected Regional Councilor of the Western Region.[19] She is the spokesperson for the Platform of Opposition Leaders for the Revision of the Electoral Code.[20]
  • Issa Tchiroma, aged 75–76[21] or 79[22] is a former railway engineer and candidate for the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon. Tchiroma was formerly allied with President Biya and has served in multiple ministries in his government between 1992 and 2025, when Tchiroma broke ties with Biya and left the government to join the opposition.[21][16]
  • Bello Bouba Maigari, aged 78, is another former ally of President Biya. He served in a few ministries in Biya's administration and is currently the Minister of State, Tourism and Leisure. Maigari is a candidate for the National Union for Democracy and Progress. Unlike Tchiroma, Maigari remained in Biya's government.[23][16]
  • Akere Muna, aged 72, is an international lawyer and candidate for the Univers party.[24] Akere is globally renowned especially in the areas of anti-corruption and good governance and previously a candidate for Now!.[25]
  • Joshua Osih, leader of the Social Democratic Front.[16]
  • Éric Essono Tsimi, aged 43, is an academic based in Chicago and a writer. He announced his "civil and civic" candidacy in May 2024 during an interview with journalist Jean-Bruno Tagne on Naja TV. His campaign was carried out under the platform Nous Sommes Le Changement / We Are the Change. Tsimi has also been engaged in negotiations with various political parties, including the FDC and the PAL.[26]
  • Cabral Libii, aged 45, is a journalist and law professor at University of Yaoundé II. He also served as a member of the National Assembly of Cameroon since 2020. He previously a candidate for the Univers. Libii was a head of Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN).[27][16]
  • Léon Theiller Onana [fr], aged 38, another member of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) who declares his candidacy.[16]

Disqualified

[edit]
  • Maurice Kamto, aged 71, is a retired academic and lawyer, representing the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC). Kamto, who previously ran in the 2018 presidential election, is also supported by the Political Alliance for Reform (APC) and the Front for Change in Cameroon (FCC).[28] Kamto filed his candidacy on 15 July,[29] but was barred from running by the Elecam on 26 July after it said that the MRC, which boycotted legislative and municipal elections in 2020, was therefore ineligible to nominate a candidate.[30]

Campaign

[edit]

On 18 September 2025, Paul Biya's daughter, Brenda Biya, published a video on social media calling on voters not to elect her father for president. She also accused her family of mistreating her.[31] Brenda subsequently deleted the video and issued an apology.[32]

Campaigning officially began on 27 September.[33]

Opinion polls

[edit]
Pollster Fieldwork date Sample
size 		Margin
of error 		Maurice Kamto Cabral Libii Paul Biya Akere Muna Chris Fomunyoh Joshua Osih Abakar Ahamat Others Margin
EC4UC[34] 13–20 June 2025 735 ±3.6% 64.22% 11.39% 10.54% 1.35% 0.89% 0.82% 3.08% 7.71% 52.83pp
EC4UC[35] 1–6 March 2025 700 ±3.6% 57.28% 12.83% 10.83% 1.28% 0.31% 1.36% 4.31% 11.8% 44.45pp
EC4UC[36] 14–18 December 2024 702 ±3.6% 55.74% 17.98% 10.41% 3.48% 2.60% 2.45% 2.21% 5.11% 37.76pp
2018 election 14.23% 6.28% 71.28% 0.35% – 3.36% – 4.52% 57.05pp

Results

[edit]
CandidatePartyVotes%
Paul BiyaCameroon People's Democratic Movement2,474,17953.66
Issa TchiromaCameroon National Salvation Front1,622,33435.19
Cabral LibiiCameroonian Party for National Reconciliation157,5683.42
Bello Bouba MaigariNational Union for Democracy and Progress112,7582.45
Patricia Ndam NjoyaCameroon Democratic Union76,7211.66
Joshua OsihSocial Democratic Front55,8411.21
Seta Caxton Ateki [fr]Liberal Alliance Party39,9350.87
Hiram Samuel IyodiFront of Cameroonian Democrats18,8280.41
Serge Espoir Matomba [fr]United People for Social Renovation15,9250.35
Jacques Bouhga-HagbeCameroonian National Citizen Movement13,6120.30
Pierre Kwemo [fr]Union of Socialist Movements12,8730.28
Akere MunaUnivers [fr]10,2520.22
Total4,610,826100.00
Valid votes4,610,82698.77
Invalid/blank votes57,6201.23
Total votes4,668,446100.00
Registered voters/turnout8,082,69257.76
Source: Constitutional Council

Aftermath

[edit]

A week before the election, Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji said that any unauthorized release of results would be deemed "high treason," saying that only the Constitutional Council can declare a winner.[37] Despite official results not being released yet, Issa Tchiroma declared himself the winner of the election in a speech on social media post on 14 October, and called on president Biya to concede.[38] Grégoire Owona, deputy secretary-general of Biya's RDPC, said that Tchiroma did not win and did not have the polling results.[39] Atanga also accused Tchiroma of plotting "a cleverly planned diabolical plan with his occult networks at home and abroad aimed at setting Cameroon ablaze".[40]

On 15 October, Tchiroma alleged that vote tampering had taken place, while protests broke out in several cities over allegations of electoral fraud, including at the Elecam headquarters in Douala. The offices of the RDPC in Dschang was set on fire.[41] An armed vigil was established by Tchiroma's supporters outside his residence in Garoua.[42] More than 800 were arrested nationwide, while conflict reports emerged as to the number of deaths, with authorities saying that 16 people were killed in the protests while opposition groups said the death toll was at 55. Data from United Nations sources suggest 48 dead, while Human Rights Watch said that 2,000 people had been detained, many of whom had not been presented in court.[43]

On 19 October, Tchiroma released tallies showing him having won about 60% of the vote. The next day, the National Vote Counting Commission released provisional results showing Paul Biya leading with 53% of the vote, followed by Tchiroma at 35%.[44] The announcement of Biya as the provisional winner set off protests in multiple cities.[citation needed] A teacher died after she was reportedly shot by a police officer during protests in Garoua on 21 October.[45]

On 3 November, a three-day lockdown was launched by Tchiroma in protest against the election result, with Douala, Maroua and Garoua being particularly affected. A partial shutdown also occurred in Yaounde.[46]

The Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, which monitored the election, noted several irregularities during the election, including the relocation of polling stations and failure to update the electoral register, which contained the names of deceased persons.[47]

The Constitutional Council announced the official results of the election on 27 October.[48]

On 6 November, Paul Biya was inaugurated for a new term as president.[49] The next day, Tchiroma fled to the Gambia due to safety concerns and was granted asylum.[50]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cameroon sets presidential vote for October 12". Reuters. 12 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Cameroon's Paul Biya, world's oldest president, declared election winner". France 24. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  3. ^ Cameroon parliament extends Biya's term limit France 24, 11 April 2008
  4. ^ Cameroun: Paul Biya laisse de nouveau entendre une nouvelle candidature à la présidentielle de 2025 Radio France International, 24 April 2025
  5. ^ "2025 Presidential Election : Campaign Speech by H.E. Paul Biya, President of The Republic and Candidate of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), to the people of the Far-North Region". 7 October 2025. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Presidential election in Cameroon: the certainty of Paul Biya's candidacy is causing disagreement within the government". RFI (in French). 8 July 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Legal challenge targets president Biya's bid for eighth term". Africanews. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  8. ^ Cameroon IFES
  9. ^ "Voter registration ends in Cameroon as polls near". Africanews. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Cameroon releases provisional list of 13 candidates for presidential election". Xinhua. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Cameroon: 81 candidates apply to run in presidential elections". Africanews. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  12. ^ "Cameroon: Legal battles intensify ahead of tense presidential election". Africanews. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Cameroon's President declares candidacy for eighth term in 2025 election". Mbare Times. 24 August 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Présidentielle au Cameroun: un élu du RDPC conteste toute candidature de Paul Biya hors congrès du parti". RFI (in French). 19 June 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  15. ^ "Cameroon's Paul Biya, 92, says he will seek eighth presidential term". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g "Cameroon's presidential election gathers momemtum as candidates file for the October vote". Africanews. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
  17. ^ "Cameroun : Les femmes qui tiennent l'opposition – Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya : L'adepte de la politique des résultats : Cameroon". Camer.be (in French). 30 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Cameroun: Hermine Patricia Tomaïno ép. Ndam Njoya – de l'ombre à la lumière". allafrica (in French). 21 August 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  19. ^ "Code Electoral". REVICODE (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  20. ^ "Code Electoral". REVICODE (in French). Retrieved 24 July 2025.
  21. ^ a b Booty, Natasha; Négoce, Nicolas (26 June 2025). "Ally of Cameroon president, 92, quits 'broken' government to challenge him". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 October 2025.
  22. ^ Issa Tchiroma, Candidat du Front pour le salut national du Cameroun [Issa Tchiroma, candidate of the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon] (in French), Wathi, 19 September 2025, Wikidata Q136547001, archived from the original on 21 October 2025
  23. ^ "A second ally of Cameroon's Biya enters presidential race". Reuters. 30 June 2025.
  24. ^ "DRC: In first official outing: Akere Muna vows 2025 presidential election won't be like others!". The Guardian Post. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  25. ^ "DRC: President Tshisekedi and Cameroonian Akéré Muna working to fight corruption". The Africa Report. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  26. ^ Tagne, Jean-Bruno (24 May 2024). "Eric Essono Tsimi announces candidacy for 2025". Naja TV (in French). Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  27. ^ https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lebledparle.com%2Feric-essono-tsimi-franck-biya-doit-renoncer-a-sa-candidature-a-la-prochaine-election-presidentielle%2F
  28. ^ "Maurice Kamto declares candidacy for the 2025 presidential election". Actu Cameroun (in French). 17 May 2024. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  29. ^ "Cameroon 2025: Maurice Kamto seeks to vie on a different political outlook". Africanews. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
  30. ^ "Cameroon's electoral body bars president's main rival from standing". Africanews. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  31. ^ "Cameroon: Brenda Biya says to not vote for her father, president Paul Biya". Africanews. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  32. ^ "Incumbent absent as Cameroon presidential campaigning picks up". France 24. 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  33. ^ "Presidential campaign kicks off in Cameroon as opposition hopes to defeat Paul Biya". Africanews. 29 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  34. ^ "2025 presidential election: Poll shows CPDM candidates trailing Kamto& Cabral Libii!". The Horizon. 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  35. ^ "2025 presidential election: Poll shows CPDM candidates trailing Kamto& Cabral Libii!". The Horizon. 15 March 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  36. ^ "2025 presidential elections: New poll confirms Kamto as opposition's best choice!". The Horizon. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
  37. ^ "Cameroon's Issa Tchiroma Bakary claims presidential election victory". Africanews. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  38. ^ "Cameroon's Issa Tchiroma Bakary claims presidential election victory". Al Jazeera. 14 October 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  39. ^ Tumanjong, Emmanuel; Killian Chimtom, Ngala; Banchereau, Mark (14 October 2025). "Cameroon opposition candidate Tchiroma claims victory in presidential election". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 October 2025. Gregoire Owona, the deputy secretary-general of the CPDM [RDPC], said the opposition candidate did not win and does not have the results from the polling stations.
  40. ^ "Cameroon minister dismisses opposition victory claim as electoral disruption". Africanews. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  41. ^ "Cameroon governing party says one of its offices was set on fire as election tensions rise". AP News. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  42. ^ "Residents of Garoua protect home of Cameroonian opposition leader ahead of election results". Africanews. 18 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  43. ^ "Cameroon updates deaths in post-election protests to 16". Africanews. 13 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  44. ^ "Cameroon: Paul Biya declared as provisional winner of presidential election". Africanews. 21 October 2025. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
  45. ^ "One dead as Cameroon awaits election results in chaotic tensions". Africanews. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  46. ^ "Parts of Cameroon deserted as opposition calls for a lockdown to protest election results". AP News. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  47. ^ "Cameroon arrests at least 20 protesters as tensions escalate after presidential election". AP News. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 23 October 2025.
  48. ^ "Cameroon election: Paul Biya defeats Issa Tchiroma Bakary, official results show". BBC News. 27 October 2025. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
  49. ^ "Cameroon's 92-year-old president Paul Biya sworn in again as opposition cries foul". AP News. 6 November 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  50. ^ "Cameroon's opposition leader in The Gambia after fleeing for his safety". BBC. 24 November 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
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