Breaking: Cameroon’s Opposition Leader, Bakary, Makes Early Gains in Paul Biya’s Strongholds

• Early reports hint that Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister turned opposition firebrand, has stolen ground in Paul Biya’s heartlands
• Legit.ng reports that there are no official numbers yet, but whispers from polling stations suggest a momentous shift in voter sentiment
• Bakary’s surge taps into decades of youth frustration, alleged crumbling infrastructure and calls for true change

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering global affairs.

Yaounde, Cameroon - Preliminary results from Cameroon’s presidential election indicate that opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary is making significant inroads in areas traditionally dominated by incumbent President Paul Biya.

92-year-old Biya is facing nine challengers, including former allies and cabinet members.

Among them are Bello Bouba Maigari, a former minister of tourism, and Bakary, who until recently served as minister of employment.

Vote counting underway in Cameroon

Early tabulations from several commune councils across the country suggest that Bakary’s party, the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC), is gaining ground against Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). On Monday, afternoon, October 13, Daily Trust cited a journalist monitoring the process, who spoke on condition of anonymity as making the claim.

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According to the newspaper, 79-year-old Bakary is leading in multiple polling booths across Yaounde's seven commune provinces.

Leadership also reported that Bakary achieved an early advantage in Biya’s fortresses.

Daily Trust's source said:

“From the results coming from various polling booths across the seven commune provinces in Yaoundé, Bakary is taking an early lead."

Each commune provinces reportedly contains between 40 to 50 polling booths, making the capital city a critical battleground.

Bakary, who hails from Garoua in the Far North Region, is also said to have outperformed Bello Bouba Maigari in their shared home region.

Another journalist confirmed that Bakary had won the majority of diaspora votes cast at Cameroonian embassies, with the exception of Moscow.

The journalist noted:

“It’s unprecedented since the 1992 presidential elections for an opposition candidate to make such early gains."

Despite the momentum, the results remain provisional and must be validated by the Constitutional Council, which is expected to announce the final outcome within two weeks.

Legit.ng reports that Cameroon operates a single-round voting system, where the candidate with the highest number of votes is declared winner.

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Read more Cameroon-related news:

• Paul Biya, Cameroon's wily veteran leader
• Cameroon president eyes re-election after 40 years in power
• Is Paul Biya dead? Cameroonian government breaks silence

'Don't vote for my dad': Biya's daughter

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Biya's only daughter published a video on social media in which she appealed to voters and told them to not cast their ballot for her father in the 2025 presidential election.

In the video, 27-year-old Brenda Biya said that she would "cut" all contact with her parents and said that her family had mistreated her, as well as people close to her "wanting her dead".

She then pivoted to politics, saying that she would not "vote for Paul Biya" and that she "hoped there would be another president".

Source: Legit.ng