As Cameroon prepares for its presidential election on 12 October 2025, voters are navigating a landscape marked by confusion, division, and uncertainty, according to retired journalist Lazare Kolyang.
“Outside the country, some media outlets like Jeune Afrique are going so far as to call our opposition ‘the stupidest in the world.’
A harsh phrase… but one that is challenging. On the ground, the facts are struggling to prove them wrong: 11 opposition candidates, 11 egos, 11 isolated strategies,” Kolyang observes.
The veteran journalist highlights the absence of a unified opposition front. “There is no sign of convergence, no unified dynamic. Even if moving forward in solidarity is not necessarily an obstacle to a victory for an opposition candidate. For the moment, everyone still dreams of being ‘the candidate behind whom the people will rally,’ while the system, for its part, moves forward quietly, disciplined and organized,” he says.
Attention has focused on Professor Maurice Kamto, seen by many as a central figure capable of guiding the opposition. Yet confusion persists. “Some are calling for a vote for Issa Tchiroma or Bello Bouba Maigari, others are talking about abstention, or even an outright boycott,” Kolyang adds.
He questions the impartiality of the electoral process. “And meanwhile… Elecam and the Constitutional Council continue to act as referees, their shirts already drenched in partisan colors. The first decisions of this process have already cast doubt on the impartiality of an election that is supposed to be the pillar of our democracy,” he warns.
Kolyang calls for civic responsibility and collective strategy from citizens. “This is not the time to give up. This is not the time to sink into fatalism. This is the time to ask the real questions: What is our collective strategy in the face of a locked-down system?” he asks.
He urges voters to aim for meaningful change rather than superficial leadership shifts. “Do we just want a new face at the head of an unchanged system? Or are we ready to demand a profound overhaul of our democracy? October 12 must not be another date in our calendar of illusions. Change will not come from those who think the seat is meant for them. It will come from those who are ready to sit together before even dreaming of sitting at the top,” Kolyang concludes.
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