The Constitutional Council’s Ruling Disqualifies Kamto from Running for President
In a decision issued Tuesday, Cameroon’s Constitutional Council rejected opposition leader Maurice Kamto’s appeal as “lacking legal justification” and categorically disqualified him from the country’s October presidential election. Kamto’s campaign under the Manidem party flag was dealt a deadly blow by the ruling, which confirms a previous exclusion by the Electoral Council.
His legal team denounced the decision as politically manipulated; attorney Hippolyte Meli said the Council was “97% politically and 3% legally” involved, “legitimizing” electoral fraud.With no more appeals allowed by Cameroonian law, Kamto’s attorneys said their work was done and urged opposition groups to seek “political remedies.
The decision puts an end to a year-long drama surrounding Kamto’s candidacy, which was first put in jeopardy in 2020 by the election boycott of his old party, MRC. When the party unintentionally nominated two candidates, a breach of the election rules, their last-minute shift to Manidem fell apart.
Aristide Mono, a political analyst, described the result as “the political use of institutions,” charging that officials were exploiting the law as a tool to marginalize opponents. The administration has issued cautions against “public disorder” as a result of the ruling, which has heightened dissent in metropolitan areas.
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