2025 Cameroonian presidential election

Last updated

2025 Cameroonian presidential election
Flag of Cameroon.svg
  2018 12 October 20252032 
  Paul Biya in December 14th, 2022.jpg Issa Tchiroma Bakari (cropped).jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Paul Biya Issa Tchiroma Bello Bouba Maigari
Party CPDM FSNC UNDP

  Hon Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya.jpg
Nominee Hermine Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya
Party UDC

Incumbent President

Paul Biya
RDPC



Presidential elections are due to be held in Cameroon on 12 October 2025. [1]

Contents

Background

The previous presidential elections on 7 October 2018 saw incumbent president Paul Biya, who has ruled since 1982, elected for another seven-year term following a 2008 constitutional amendment that removed term limits, allowing Biya to run again. [2] Biya's candidacy remains plausible, however, with his declaration of wanting to continue to serve the nation. [3] His candidacy for the 2025 presidential election is causing controversy within the Cameroonian government, [4] while a petition was filed by opposition candidate Akere Tabeng Muna before the Constitutional Council seeking to disqualify Biya on grounds of the latter's advanced age, recurrent health absences, and presumed dependency on third parties. [5]

Electoral system

The President of Cameroon is elected by first-past-the-post voting; the candidate with the most votes is declared the winner with no requirement to achieve a majority. [6] Registration for voting ended on 31 August 2024, with more than seven million people estimated to have signed up. [7]

Candidates

A total of 83 people registered their candidacy in the election, [8] of which seven were women. [9] On 26 July, Elections Cameroon (Elecam) released a provisional list of 13 candidates, with Hermine Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya as the only female candidate. [8] Thirty-five appeals were subsequently made by rejected candidates before the Constitutional Council. [10]

Approved

Declared

Disqualified

Possible candidates

Opinion polls

PollsterFieldwork dateSample
size
Margin
of error
Maurice KamtoCabral LibiiPaul BiyaAkere MunaChris FomunyohJoshua OsihAbakar AhamatOthersLead
EC4UC [32] 13-20 June 2025735±3.6%64.22%11.39%10.54%1.35%0.89%0.82%3.08%7.71%52.83%
EC4UC [33] 1-6 March 2025700±3.6%57.28%12.83%10.83%1.28%0.31%1.36%4.31%11.8%44.45%
EC4UC [34] 14-18 December 2024702±3.6%55.74%17.98%10.41%3.48%2.60%2.45%2.21%5.11%37.76%

References

  1. "Cameroon sets presidential vote for October 12". Reuters. 12 July 2025.
  2. Cameroon parliament extends Biya's term limit France 24, 11 April 2008
  3. Cameroun: Paul Biya laisse de nouveau entendre une nouvelle candidature à la présidentielle de 2025 Radio France International, 24 April 2025
  4. "Presidential election in Cameroon: the certainty of Paul Biya's candidacy is causing disagreement within the government". RFI (in French). 2025-07-08. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  5. "Legal challenge targets president Biya's bid for eighth term". Africanews. 21 August 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
  6. Cameroon IFES
  7. "Voter registration ends in Cameroon as polls near". Africanews. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cameroon releases provisional list of 13 candidates for presidential election". Xinhua. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
  9. "Cameroon: 81 candidates apply to run in presidential elections". Africanews. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  10. "Cameroon: Legal battles intensify ahead of tense presidential election". Africanews. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
  11. 1 2 "Cameroon opposition leader banned from challenging world's oldest president". BBC. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  12. "Cameroon's President declares candidacy for eighth term in 2025 election". Mbare Times. 2024-08-24. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  13. "Présidentielle au Cameroun: un élu du RDPC conteste toute candidature de Paul Biya hors congrès du parti". RFI (in French). 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  14. "Cameroon's Paul Biya, 92, says he will seek eighth presidential term". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cameroon's presidential election gathers momemtum as candidates file for the October vote". Africanews. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  16. "Cameroun : Les femmes qui tiennent l'opposition - Hermine Patricia Ndam Njoya : L'adepte de la politique des résultats : Cameroon". Camer.be (in French). 2016-03-30. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
  17. "Cameroun: Hermine Patricia Tomaïno ép. Ndam Njoya - de l'ombre à la lumière". allafrica (in French). 21 August 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  18. "Code Electoral". REVICODE (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-20.
  19. "Code Electoral". REVICODE (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  20. "Ally of Cameroon president, 92, quits 'broken' government to challenge him". BBC News. 26 June 2025.
  21. "A second ally of Cameroon's Biya enters presidential race". Reuters. 30 June 2025.
  22. "DRC: In first official outing: Akere Muna vows 2025 presidential electionwon't be like others!". The Guardian Post. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
  23. "DRC: President Tshisekedi and Cameroonian Akéré Muna working to fight corruption". The Africa Report. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  24. Tagne, Jean-Bruno (2024-05-24). "Eric Essono Tsimi announces candidacy for 2025". Naja TV (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  25. https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lebledparle.com%2Feric-essono-tsimi-franck-biya-doit-renoncer-a-sa-candidature-a-la-prochaine-election-presidentielle%2F
  26. "Maurice Kamto declares candidacy for the 2025 presidential election". Actu Cameroun (in French). 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  27. "Cameroon 2025: Maurice Kamto seeks to vie on a different political outlook". Africanews. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  28. "Cameroon's electoral body bars president's main rival from standing". Africanews. Retrieved 2025-07-26.
  29. https://www.camerounactuonline.com/cameroon-in-2025-the-purs-of-serge-espoir-matomba-wants-to-participate-in-the-presidential-election-by-presenting-its-own-candidate/
  30. https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lebledparle.com%2Feric-essono-tsimi-franck-biya-doit-renoncer-a-sa-candidature-a-la-prochaine-election-presidentielle%2F
  31. https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lebledparle.com%2Feric-essono-tsimi-franck-biya-doit-renoncer-a-sa-candidature-a-la-prochaine-election-presidentielle%2F
  32. "2025 presidential election: Poll shows CPDM candidates trailing Kamto& Cabral Libii!". The Horizon. 2025-07-01. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  33. "2025 presidential election: Poll shows CPDM candidates trailing Kamto& Cabral Libii!". The Horizon. 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
  34. "2025 presidential elections: New poll confirms Kamto as opposition's best choice!". The Horizon. 2025-01-08. Retrieved 2025-01-08.