As Cameroon prepares for its presidential election scheduled for 12 October 2025, growing concerns are surfacing over a fragmented opposition and escalating instability across the country. President Paul Biya, now 92 years old and Africa’s longest-serving leader after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, has confirmed his intention to seek an eighth term in office. Despite widespread calls for unity among opposition parties, internal divisions and competing ambitions have hindered efforts to present a single, consolidated challenger capable of mounting a serious campaign against Biya’s decades-long rule.
The United Nations has expressed alarm over increasing restrictions on political freedoms in the lead-up to the election. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk warned that Cameroon lacks the “safe and enabling human rights environment” necessary for peaceful and credible elections. Reports of banned political gatherings, exclusion of opposition candidates, and irregularities in voter registration have further fueled skepticism about the fairness of the electoral process. These developments have cast a shadow over the country’s democratic prospects and raised fears of post-election unrest.
A collective of Cameroonian intellectuals, including lawyer Alice Kom, filmmaker Jean-Pierre Bekolo, and academics Stéphane Akoa and Baba Wame, has publicly urged opposition leaders to set aside personal ambitions and agree on a unified strategy. However, efforts to forge a coalition have repeatedly stalled. Analysts such as Enrica Picco from the International Crisis Group note that negotiations have failed to produce consensus, with opposition figures unable to agree on a single candidate. Maurice Kamto, who finished second in the 2018 election, was widely seen as a viable contender, but his candidacy was rejected by the electoral commission due to internal party disputes.
With at least 11 candidates currently in the race, many observers fear that the opposition vote will be split, effectively paving the way for Biya’s continued rule. The combination of political fragmentation, institutional constraints, and regional instability, particularly in the Anglophone regions and areas affected by Boko Haram, has created a volatile backdrop for the upcoming election. As the country heads to the polls, the stakes are high, and the path forward remains uncertain.