Around eight million Cameroonian voters headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president in what is seen as a pivotal election, held amid security challenges and growing concerns over the credibility of the process.
The electoral commission opened roughly 31,000 polling stations across the country.
In the capital, Yaoundé, voters began arriving gradually under tight security, particularly in the upscale Bastos district near the presidential palace, where incumbent President Paul Biya was expected to cast his vote.
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for 42 years, is running once again as the candidate of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, at a time when his continued dominance of the political scene has drawn international criticism.
The International Crisis Group warned in a report that “the lack of genuine competition and the exclusion of conflict-affected regions from voting threaten the legitimacy of the election.”
