Maurice Kamto (R), newly nominated by African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM) as its presidential candidate, greets supporters after a news conference in Yaounde, Cameroon on July 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
The renowned university professor and former government minister was widely seen as the most serious challenger to long-standing President Paul Biya.
ELECAM said Kamto had failed to comply with legal requirements by accepting a nomination from the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, which boycotted legislative and municipal elections in 2020.
It says that under Section 121 of the electoral code, this means the movement is no longer eligible to put forward a candidate.
Kamto had come in second place with 14 per cent of the vote in the last elections in 2018, which Biya won by a landslide amid allegations of fraud.
The 71-year-old’s exclusion raises the risk of protests and leaves just 12 out of the more than 80 applicants hoping to replace the 92-year-old Biya in the field.
In power for almost 43 years, Biya announced earlier this month that he would seek an eighth seven-year term in office.
Source:African News