Cameroon Election a Farce Again as Credibility Crumbles

Cameroon’s 2025 presidential election has drawn accusations of fraud, intimidation and bias, with reports of irregularities and voter suppression (image source)

YAOUNDE — Cameroon’s presidential vote has once more laid bare deep flaws in the country’s electoral process, with widespread reports of irregularities, intimidation and stark regional contrasts that together paint an image of an election more performed than contested.

Across the capital and major cities, voters queued in scenes of routine pageantry, while in anglophone regions the mood was markedly different, shaped by fear and the threat of armed groups that have long disrupted civic life there. Observers and residents described “ballots and bullets” dynamics as polling unfolded, with many in the North West and South West deterred from voting by security risks and calls for boycotts. The unequal conditions on the ground fundamentally undercut any claim to a level playing field.

Reports from multiple outlets and eyewitnesses indicate logistical failings and procedural anomalies. In some centres, ballot material and lists were reportedly mishandled, while in others turnout figures and results transmission raised suspicions of manipulation and “ghost voters” appearing on rolls. Such accounts mirror long-standing critiques that past polls have been engineered to favour the incumbent political machinery rather than reflect genuine competition. The resulting patchwork of orderly voting stations and chaotic, contested sites further delegitimises outcomes declared under such conditions.

Political analysts argue the election is symptomatic of a managed democracy where institutions required to guarantee transparency — electoral commission independence, media freedom and impartial security forces — remain compromised. An analyst noted that the spectacle of mass rallies in certain regions contrasts sharply with silenced communities elsewhere, a mismatch that critics say is exploited to manufacture majorities rather than win consent. Without credible, independent verification mechanisms, claims of victory will ring hollow both domestically and abroad.

Civil-society groups and opposition figures have demanded thorough investigations into allegations of fraud and intimidation, calling for international observers to be granted unfettered access to disputed sites and tallying centres. Human rights advocates warn that ignoring these complaints risks entrenching grievances that fuel violence and further erode public trust in state institutions. For many Cameroonians, the pattern is painfully familiar: elections that offer ritual legitimacy while failing to produce real accountability or change.

As the country awaits consolidated results, the central question is whether domestic and international actors will press for meaningful reforms or simply acquiesce to an electoral script that preserves the status quo. Absent concrete steps to ensure equal participation, transparent counting and credible dispute resolution, Cameroon’s elections will continue to be judged a farce rather than a cornerstone of democratic governance.