from ROSY SADOU in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Cameroon Bureau
YAOUNDÉ, (CAJ News) – GROWING restrictions on opposition parties and civil society have cast doubt over the credibility of Cameroon’s October 12 presidential election, where President Paul Biya, 92, seeks to extend his 43-year rule.
Authorities have banned opposition gatherings, disrupted media interviews, and arrested more than 50 supporters during appeal hearings before the Constitutional Council in August. Critics accuse the electoral commission of bias, while some candidates have been barred from running.
UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk warned the environment “is not conducive to free, transparent and inclusive elections.”
Cameroon has already suspended or banned several civil society groups, raising fears of a shrinking democratic space. Biya is one of seven candidates approved by Elections Cameroon.
– CAJ News