Cameroon opposition chief Kamto calls for boycott of legislative polls

Cameroon’s main opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, on Monday declared his party the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) would boycott the country’s legislative and municipal elections scheduled for February 9, 2020.

He also urged all opposition political parties, civil society and religious groups to boycott the upcoming polls.

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.”

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.

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.

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 NGOs.