A Cameroonian court supports excluding the opposition presidential contender

Maurice Kamto, President Paul Biya’s primary opponent in the October 12 presidential election, was rejected by Cameroon’s Constitutional Council on Tuesday.

Kamto was not included in the list of candidates authorized to run for office by the electoral commission in July. According to the report, Kamto was disqualified for running under the MANIDEM party’s banner, which also backed a different candidate.

Within the allotted two days, Kamto filed an appeal against the ruling. But in a decision that cannot be challenged, Constitutional Council President Clement Atangana upheld the decision.

Kamto was not available for comment at this time.

In a statement released last week, Human Rights Watch expressed concerns over the electoral process’s credibility in light of the electoral board’s decision to disqualify Kamto.

Dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Constitutional Council’s entrance on Monday to support Kamto, but police used tear gas to scatter them.

On Monday, a police commissioner told Reuters that a number of people had been arrested and are still being held.

Despite claims of fraud, which he denied, Biya won by a landslide in the most recent election in 2018, Kamto finished second with 14% of the vote.

Biya, 92, is the oldest head of state in history to hold the position for 43 years. Last month, he declared his plan to run for reelection.