The path to the October 12, 2025 presidential election in Cameroon has taken a decisive turn with the country’s highest electoral authority officially excluding Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), from the ballot.
On Tuesday, August 5, the Constitutional Council rejected Kamto’s final appeal, ending all possibilities for his participation.
According to reports from RFI, the Council dismissed Kamto’s request as “unfounded,” thereby confirming the earlier decision by the Electoral Council on July 26 to bar him from running.
With no further recourse available against rulings from the Constitutional Council, Kamto’s exclusion is now definitive.
This ruling underscores the intense political tensions surrounding the upcoming election, where stakes remain extraordinarily high. For supporters of Maurice Kamto, the disqualification is seen as a direct blow to democratic pluralism in Cameroon.
The absence of such a prominent opposition figure reshapes the electoral landscape considerably. Kamto’s exclusion may alter the balance of power among other opposition candidates while simultaneously consolidating the position of the incumbent presidential camp. Observers now await to see whether this development will provoke a realignment within the opposition or spur calls for election boycotts by certain parties.
As Cameroon approaches the election date, the political atmosphere remains charged, with many questioning what impact Kamto’s definitive removal will have on the country’s democratic future.
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