By Mevlut Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - Cameroon's opposition coalition has claimed victory in the country’s presidential election, saying its candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary won by a wide margin, while official results are yet to be announced.
Tchiroma, a former employment and vocational training minister under incumbent President Paul Biya, “inflicted a crushing defeat” on the 92-year-old president, the Union for Change 2025 said in a statement late on Sunday.
The coalition claimed that vote tallies from across the Central African country and abroad showed Tchiroma winning Sunday’s presidential election with results ranging from 60% to 80% of the vote.
It urged the "outgoing president" to congratulate the "winner," called on authorities to "respect the will of the people," and urged Cameroonians to "remain mobilized to vigorously defend their victory and to take their destiny into their own hands."
The official electoral body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), has yet to release the official results.
If confirmed, Tchiroma would become Cameroon’s third president since independence, unseating President Biya, the world’s oldest and longest-serving elected head of state, who has been in power since 1982.