Cameroon’s opposition chief Maurice Kamto has been excluded from the record of candidates within the 12 October presidential election.
Solely 13 of the 83 names submitted to the nation’s electoral physique Elecam had been accepted.
Kamto got here second within the 2018 elections amid allegations of fraud. He has not but commented on the choice.
President Paul Biya, 92, the world’s oldest president, was included on the record and can search an eighth time period in workplace.
Defying calls to step down, he says he nonetheless has loads to supply Cameroonians regardless of being in energy for almost 43 years.
Biya will probably be challenged by two former allies, Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari, who each come from the vote-rich north of the nation.
Kamto was excluded as a result of he was one in all two candidates registered to signify the Manidem occasion.
Although he had been formally adopted by the occasion’s ruling physique, one other candidate from a splinter group additionally registered himself underneath the occasion’s identify.
Manidem president Anicet Ekane described Kamto’s exclusion as “arbitrary and provocative”.
“We name on all Cameroonians to point out calm and restraint as a result of for the second, it is just an offside aim. This deal with from behind have to be sanctioned by the Constitutional Council which we’ll flip to,” he added.
These disqualified from the presidential race have two days to file a authorized problem.
Kamto was the candidate for the Cameroon Renaissance Motion (CRM) in 2018 however the occasion was not allowed to endorse anybody this 12 months because of its lack of elected representatives in parliament or native councils.
So Kamto not too long ago joined the Manidem occasion, which does have native illustration.
Famend anti-corruption lawyer Akere Muna, Social Democratic Entrance (SDF) chief Joshua Osih, and lawmaker Cabral Libii are among the many different candidates cleared to run.
Firebrand Mayor of Foumban Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya is the one feminine candidate on the record.
