Outcry as Paul Biya wins Cameroon election to extend 36-year rule
Yaounde — Cameroonian President Paul Biya has won re-election by a landslide, the Constitutional Council said on Monday, extending his 36-year rule and cementing his place as one of Africa’s longest serving rulers. Looming over his victory are opposition claims of voter fraud and a secessionist uprising in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions in which hundreds, including civilians, have died over the past year. At 85, Biya is the oldest leader in sub-Saharan Africa and most Cameroonians have known only him as president. He won 71% of the vote, giving him seven more years in power, but opposition candidates said the election was marred by ballot stuffing and intimidation. The Constitutional Council last week rejected all 18 petitions claiming fraud. “The results were known beforehand. They do not reflect reality in Cameroon,” said Cabral Libii, an opposition candidate who came third with six%. Monday’s results showed turnout of 54%, with Biya winning strongly in nine of 10 ...
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