Ahead of the announcement of Cameroon’s presidential election results, hundreds of Cameroonians marched in protests in Garoua, the capital of the country’s northern region, as preliminary results showed that President Paul Biya is set to return to office with 53% of the vote.
Meanwhile, Zouhairatou Hassana, a young teacher, was shot and killed by a police officer during the protests, according to neighbors.
This death marks the first fatality of the demonstrations, as many contest the fairness of the election and its results, alleging rigging and electoral fraud.
Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma has declared himself the winner of the election, claiming to have won 55% of the votes — a dramatic increase from the 35% recorded in official preliminary results.
“If the Constitutional Council proclaims falsified and truncated results, it will be complicit in a breach of trust,” Tchiroma said.
The statement comes after the constitutional council judges dismissed calls for a partial or total cancellation of the election. The judges threw out eight petitions, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.
Internet Shutdown
Internet access has also been significantly disrupted in the central African country, which internet monitor NetBlocks says “may limit coverage of events on the ground.”
Biya is the world’s oldest president at 92 years old and is looking to stay in power for another seven years.
