Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), has been barred from contesting the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 12, 2025.
The country’s Constitutional Council confirmed on August 5 the invalidation of his candidacy due to “multiple nominations,” a charge Kamto vehemently rejects as fabricated.
In a forceful statement posted on Facebook two days later, Kamto described the decision as “purely political,” aimed squarely at sidelining him from the electoral race.
Kamto had submitted his candidacy under the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (Manidem) banner after his own party, the MRC, was disqualified following its boycott of the 2020 legislative and municipal elections.
Despite timely registration, his bid was first rejected by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) on July 26 and later definitively dismissed by the Constitutional Council.
Accusing the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) regime of orchestrating his exclusion, Kamto alleged that authorities “fabricated a fake Manidem president” and “invented a second candidacy” to engineer a conflict of nominations.
“The decision to sideline me was taken long ago by the regime,” he asserted.
Kamto links his disqualification directly to his 2020 call to boycott elections, citing persistent violence and lack of electoral reforms as reasons.
He believes the government has since pursued a systematic campaign to marginalize the MRC, compounded by the postponement of legislative and municipal elections to March 2026, which blocks the party from gaining elected representatives—an essential prerequisite for fielding a presidential candidate.
He also sharply criticized the international community, singling out the UN for its May 9, 2025 agreement with ELECAM intended to ensure electoral transparency.
Kamto condemned this as “an endorsement of political crime” and accused international actors of ignoring the democratic values they claim to uphold.
Despite his exclusion, Kamto expressed gratitude to allied political parties, including the Front for Change in Cameroon (FCC) and the Political Alliance for Change (APC), as well as to Manidem’s legitimate president, Anicet Georges Ekane. He called on his supporters to remain vigilant and resolute.
Kamto announced the closure of his campaign fundraising and confirmed arrangements to reimburse all contributions through banks or mobile money platforms.
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