By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Cameroon’s National Commission handed over the tentative results of the election to the Constitutional Council on Tuesday during a ceremony in Yaounde, the country’s capital.
“We have successfully compiled all the return reports from the divisional supervisory commissions and those from the diaspora. We are pleased with the work because it was transparent,” Emile Essombe, president of the commission, told reporters.
The provisional results which were not published, showed incumbent President Paul Biya leading with 53-54 percent of the votes, followed by opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary with 35 percent.
The council will on Wednesday begin hearing petitions from opposition candidates and voters demanding the total or partial annulment of the poll before announcing the results.
According to Cameroon’s Electoral Code, the Constitutional Council is expected to “adopt and proclaim” the results by October 27, and its decisions relating to the presidential election and election results shall be final.
Meanwhile police in Cameroon opened fire Tuesday, killing one person as they dispersed crowds protesting against alleged presidential electoral fraud, local media reported.
The incident occurred in the Poumpoumre district in Garoua city in the far north region, which was the scene of post-election angry demonstrations by supporters of Bakary, who claimed victory in the polls.
Protestors took to the streets of Garoua to demand “respect for the results of the ballot boxes that give Tchiroma the victory.”
The city is Tchiroma’s stronghold. Similar protests took place in the capital Yaounde.
Footage shared on social media platforms showed protesters carrying placards claiming that electoral officials “manipulated the vote count” in favor of incumbent Biya.
Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji in a statement Tuesday said 20 people have been arrested and they will be prosecuted on charges of insurrection and incitement of rebellion.
Cameroon faces escalating security crises. In the western region, a secessionist war is being fought between mainly English-speaking separatists who claim they are marginalized by the French-speaking majority, and government forces. In the north, the Boko Haram insurgency spills over from neighboring Nigeria, with armed groups routinely attacking border towns.
At least 43% of the population live in poverty as measured by core living standards such as income, education and health, according to UN estimates. Cameroon has a population of over 29 million people, a majority overwhelmingly young.