Cameroon opposition chief Kamto calls for boycott of legislative polls

<p>Cameroon’s main opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, on Monday declared his party the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (<span class="caps">MRC</span>) would boycott the country’s legislative and municipal elections scheduled for February 9, 2020.</p> <p>He also urged all opposition political parties, civil society and religious groups to boycott the upcoming polls.</p> <p>In his words: “Holding elections in Cameroon without having restored peace in the Northwest and Southwest regions… is sending a message that the people in these regions are not Cameroonians and, in so doing, enshrining the de facto partition of the country.”</p> <p>The Cameroonian presidency announced on November 10 that legislative and municipal elections, postponed twice since 2018, would finally be held on Sunday, February 9, 2020. </p> <p>Some opposition parties have denounced the organisation of these elections, arguing their credibility cannot be guaranteed at a time when the country is facing multiple crises.</p> <p>For two years, the two English speaking regions of the country has been the scene of a deadly conflict between separatists fighters and the army, which has already claimed more than 3,000 lives, according to <span class="caps">NGO</span>s.</p>