Elections Cameroon (Elecam) has provisionally approved 13 candidates for the October 12 presidential election, selecting them from 83 applicants.
The list includes incumbent President Paul Biya, opposition leader Joshua Osih, former ministers Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari, and sole female candidate Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya.
Notably, opposition figure Maurice Kamto was excluded from the provisional roster. Rejected applicants may appeal to Cameroon’s Constitutional Council within 48 hours, per electoral guidelines. The announcement by Elecam board chair Enow Abrams Egbe in Yaoundé sets the stage for a pivotal contest in the Central African nation, where Biya has held power since 1982.
The final candidate list will be confirmed after appeals, with campaigning expected to intensify ahead of the October vote.
