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Presidential elections in Cameroon
On Tuesday, Cameroon’s National Vote Counting Commission announced the preliminary results of the presidential election held on October 12. According to these results, incumbent President Paul Biya of the Rassemblement Démocratique du Peuple Camerounais (RDPC) is leading with 53.66 % of the votes. In second place is Issa Tchiroma Bakary, chairman of the Front pour le Salut National du Cameroun (FSNC), with 35.19 %. Cabral Libi (PCRN) received 3.41 %, and Bello Bouba Maïgari (UNDP) 2.45 %. Even before the release of the preliminary results, several petitions had been submitted to the Constitutional Council citing electoral fraud and lack of transparency. On Wednesday, the Constitutional Council, which is responsible for handling complaints and announcing the final election results, rejected all claims for the full or partial annulment of the election. This decision is conclusive. The official announcement of the results is expected on Monday. If the preliminary outcome is confirmed, 92-year-old Paul Biya, who has been in office for 43 years, would extend his presidency for another seven years.
In their preliminary reports, the election observation missions of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) praised the election authority ELECAM for organising the voting. They stated that the voting generally took place under satisfactory conditions and in accordance with democratic principles. No further international statements have been issued so far. Domestically, however, the prolonged counting process and public allegations of electoral fraud have led to rising tensions. Protests and clashes with security forces occurred in several cities, including the capital Yaoundé and Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown. According to authorities, police used live ammunition there, resulting in at least one death and 20 arrests. Smaller demonstrations were also reported from Bafoussam, Dschang, Douala, Kousséri, Limbe, and Makary. In the meantime, internet access has been severely disrupted in many parts of Cameroon.
Tchiroma, who served as Minister of Employment and Vocational Training under Biya until June 2025, declared himself the winner even before the preliminary results were released. His team published its own count on Sunday, claiming he received around 62% of the votes. These figures have not yet been independently verified. The 76-year-old refrained from filing a formal complaint with the Constitutional Council, citing that its members were appointed by Biya and therefore not independent. An immediate response from the Biya administration was initially absent. However, Paul Atanga Nji, Minister of Territorial Administration, recently emphasized that only the Constitutional Council is authorised to announce the winner, and that any unilateral release of results would be considered “high treason.”
Meanwhile, several opposition candidates have rallied behind Tchiroma. According to media reports, Biya’s envoys offered the FSNC leader the position of Prime Minister as well as government and administrative posts for his close associates. A reform of the electoral law is also said to be planned before the parliamentary elections next year. Tchiroma rejected the offer and called for further peaceful protests. Should the Constitutional Council confirm the preliminary results from the Election Results Commission, a plan of action for the next steps is reportedly already in place, according to party sources. Observers see the Constitutional Council’s decision as a critical test for Cameroon’s political stability.
Morocco increases social spending after wave of protests
On Sunday, the Moroccan cabinet in Rabat, led by King Mohammed VI, approved the draft budget for 2026 after weeks of protests by the Gen Z 212 group. It provides for a 16% increase in spending on public education and health, bringing the total to over €13 billion, and plans to create 27,000 new jobs in these two sectors. There are also plans to modernise and build new hospitals and expand pre-school education nationwide. Pensions, unemployment benefits, and family benefits are also to be increased. Regional disparities, another key concern of the protesters, are to be reduced in the new fiscal year. To this end, the draft budget presents specific plans for mountainous areas, oases, and coastal regions. In addition, a package of laws aimed at “moralising the election campaign” has been introduced. It provides for the strengthening of anti-corruption measures and prohibits convicted politicians from running for office again. In addition, it will be easier for people under the age of 35 to run for political positions in the future, even if they do not belong to a party; the state will cover up to three-quarters of their campaign costs. On a macroeconomic level, Finance and Economy Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui is backing the budget plan on the basis of expected growth of 4.8%; inflation has been stabilised at 1.1%, and the budget deficit has been reduced to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), while public debt stands at around 69% of GDP according to World Bank figures. The draft budget and draft legislation are to be debated in parliament in November and passed in December.
In initial reactions, members of Gen Z 212 welcomed the decisions as an important first step, but called for the release of all those arrested during the protests and further anti-corruption measures. Since the beginning of October, young Moroccans in particular have been protesting for improvements in the education and health systems. The protests were triggered by several deaths at a state hospital in Agadir (Press Review CW 40/2025), which is now also part of the investment plans. According to the Moroccan human rights organisation L’Association Marocaine des Droits Humains, around 600 demonstrators have been arrested since the protests began. Without mentioning the protest movement by name, King Mohammed VI announced plans for social reforms in his speech at the opening of parliament on 10 October. Despite a call by the movement to protest again after the speech, the number of demonstrators has steadily declined in recent weeks. The next regular parliamentary elections are scheduled for September 2026.
In addition to legislative and social reforms, the 2026 budget also provides for an 18% increase in defence spending to around €14.7 billion. Morocco’s defence and security spending has thus risen by almost 40% over the last seven years; the country is increasingly diversifying its arms suppliers and military partnerships in order to avoid dependencies. Observers attribute the renewed budget increase in part to a rise in military spending in neighbouring Algeria, which plans to invest around €20.7 billion in defence in 2026. In terms of GDP, Algeria is thus the country with the second-highest defence spending worldwide. Relations between the two Maghreb states have historically been tense.
In other news
The British Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation was awarded this year in Dakar to Kenyan Elly Savatia, as reported by various media outlets this week. With his app Terp 360, which uses AI-generated 3D avatars to translate spoken language into Kenyan sign language in real time, Savatia is making a significant contribution to improving accessibility for sign language users. The prize is worth £50,000, which Savatia plans to use to expand the project into the fields of education, business and healthcare. The three other finalists, Vivian Arinaitwe from Uganda, Frank Owusu from Ghana and Carol Ofafa from Kenya, were each awarded £10,000. The ‘One to Watch’ prize, voted for by the public, went to Rui Bauhofer from Mozambique for his invention Eco-Plant. These are completely biodegradable disposable plates made from corn cobs, which are mixed with seeds so that they germinate and grow after being thrown away. He received £5,000. In addition, the Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation offers an eight-month training programme for all sixteen candidates, covering topics such as market analysis, business development and financial modelling. Since its inception in 2014, the award presented by the Royal Academy of Engineering has supported over 160 African innovators and serves as a platform to give African entrepreneurs greater visibility.