By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Cameroon’s judicial body on Tuesday upheld the decision of the country’s electoral commission to reject the candidacy of Maurice Kamto, the main rival to President Paul Biya in the October 12 presidential poll.
ELECAM had last month removed Kamto from the list of candidates approved to stand for the election. The electoral body said Kamto was barred because he was seeking election under the platform of the MANIDEM party, which also has another candidate it was supporting.
Kamto appealed his disqualification within the two-day window allowed.
President of the Constitutional Council, Clement Atangana however affirmed the ruling, sealing Kamto’s fate as the decision cannot be challenged further.
Human Rights Watch said in a statement last week that the electoral board’s decision to exclude Kamto raised concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.
Dozens of protesters on Monday converged at the entrance of the Constitutional Council to show support for Kamto but were dispersed by police firing tear gas.
Kamto in the 2018 election came second with 14% of the vote, while Biya won by a landslide amid allegations of fraud, an allegation his party denied.
Biya, 92, has been in power for 43 years and is the world’s oldest serving head of state.
He announced his intention last month to seek re-election, sparking widespread criticism among political watchers.
