By the Editorial Team, Voix-Plurielles
A Country at a Crossroads
The October 12, 2025 presidential election has plunged Cameroon into a moment of rare tension.
While the government insists that only the Constitutional Council can announce official results, opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary has proclaimed a “clear victory”, supported by official polling-station reports (procès-verbaux) showing him far ahead of the incumbent president, Paul Biya.
The released tallies from several divisions indicate a striking reversal of power:
Regional Voting Trends – Verified Polling Reports (PVs)
| Région / Département | Issa Tchiroma Bakary (FSNC) | Paul Biya (RDPC) | Taux de participation / Turnout (%) |
|---|
| Centre – Mfoundi | 57,4 % | 30,9 % | 50,0 |
| Centre – Lékié | 42,7 % | 78,4 % | 42,7 % |
| Littoral – Wouri | 78,3 % | 12,4 % | 48,6 |
| Littoral – Moungo | 61,0 % | 32,0 % | 49,4 |
| Ouest – Menoua | 68,7 % | 22,5 % | 53,3 |
| Ouest – Mifi | 80,8 % | 12,3 % | 51,3 % |
| Ouest – Noun | 22,1 % | 32,5 % | 51,3 % |
| Est – Lom-et-Djérem | 50,7 % | 38,6 % | 38,1 % |
| Adamaoua – Vina | 59,6 % | 27,6 % | 45,1 % |
| Nord – Mayo-Louti | 55,1 % | 26,8 % | 52,4 % |
| Nord – Bénoué | 53,6 % | 32,8 % | 43,3 % |
| Extrême-Nord – Mayo-Tsanaga | 46,7 % | 32,6 % | 53,8 % |
| Extrême-Nord – Mayo-Danay | 47,5 % | 40,9 % | 65,2 % |
| Extrême-Nord – Mayo-Kani | 42,2 % | 40,1 % | 63,5 % |
| Extrême-Nord – Mayo-Sava | 28,9 % | 64,0 % | 60,5 % |
| Extrême-Nord – Diamaré | 50,3 % | 40,0 % | 54,0 % |
| Nord – Mayo-Rey | 46,5 % | 38,9 % | 6,6 % |
Analytical Insight
- Nationwide pattern: Across all six divisions, Issa Tchiroma Bakary leads by significant margins, often doubling or tripling Paul Biya’s share.
- Urban contrast: Even in the political capital (Mfoundi) and economic capital (Wouri), turnout near 50 % indicates sustained civic engagement despite tension.
- Regional spread: The results show broad geographic legitimacy — from Centre to Littoral to Adamaoua and Ouest — undermining the “localized support” narrative often used to discredit opposition victories.
- The verified polling reports (PVs) reveal an unprecedented political shift. In 10 out of 17 divisions, Issa Tchiroma Bakary (FSNC) outperforms Paul Biya (RDPC), including in historically regime-aligned northern strongholds.
- Tchiroma Bakary maintains clear leads in every division except Mayo-Rey, where turnout collapsed (6.6 %) due to security concerns and alleged intimidation.
- The pattern suggests a national realignment: from the Centre to the North, the electorate expresses fatigue with 43 years of continuity and a desire for renewal.
- The expanded analysis confirms a major electoral shift in the North, where Issa Tchiroma Bakary leads in Benoué, Mayo-Tsanaga, and Mayo-Danay — historically pro-RDPC zones.
His surge reflects a deep political rupture between northern citizens and the ruling system.
If accurate, these figures would mark a historic shift: for the first time, the ruling party appears to have lost both Yaoundé and Douala, the nation’s two largest cities, as well as parts of the North once loyal to the regime.
The Crisis of Trust
Behind the numbers lies a deeper crisis of legitimacy.
Cameroon’s institutions — from the electoral body (ELECAM) to the Constitutional Council — are widely perceived as subservient to the executive.
Public frustration has been amplified by the visible gerontocracy leading the state:
- President Paul Biya — 92 years old
- President of the Senate — 90
- Speaker of the National Assembly — 85
- Minister of Justice — 83
- Head of the Constitutional Council — 84
- Police Chief — 93
- Army Chief of Staff — 86
For a youthful population whose median age is 19, this leadership profile symbolizes a political system frozen in time.
A Nation on Edge
A map produced by the Youth Observatory shows incidents across at least 20 cities since the vote:
- Douala, Dschang, and Bafoussam: protests, police violence, fires at local offices.
- Garoua and Maroua: intimidation of polling agents, arrests, and military deployment.
- Yaoundé: spontaneous marches demanding “the truth of the ballot box.”
The protests are not regional or ethnically driven — they express a nationwide civic awakening, cutting across linguistic and cultural lines.
At the same time, leaked prefectural letters have summoned community leaders from the Bamiléké, Anglophone, and Grand North regions for “work sessions” — a move critics interpret as an attempt to divide and control under the guise of consultation.
The People Versus the System
After 43 years of uninterrupted rule, many Cameroonians believe that the will of the people is once again being stolen.
Armed with smartphones and copies of polling-station reports, ordinary citizens have turned into digital observers, sharing thousands of verified results online.
This wave of civic engagement — dubbed by some as “the rebellion of truth” — has turned the publication of PVs into a national act of resistance.
Yet, it has also exposed the population to intimidation, censorship, and violence.
Energy Versus Fatigue: A Nation’s Last Battle
Filmmaker Jean-Pierre Bekolo described the current standoff as “no longer ideological but energetic.”
“For forty years, Biya won not because he was strong, but because he knew how to paralyze.
But today, the spell has broken. The energy has changed sides.”
That energy now flows from below — from students, taxi drivers, market women, soldiers’ families, and young professionals — who demand truth, dignity, and renewal.
In contrast, the ruling party, once a formidable machine, now appears tired, mechanical, and disconnected from the pulse of society.
What Happens Next
- The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to proclaim the results.
If it announces a victory for Biya despite PV evidence to the contrary, it risks triggering a crisis of legitimacy unprecedented since independence. - Security forces will face a moral test: defend the law, or protect a man.
- Citizens will face a civic test: to resist without destroying the fragile fabric of peace.
Cameroon now stands at the threshold between a peaceful transition of power and institutional implosion.
The Broader Meaning
This is no longer about one election. It is about a people reclaiming their right to count.
After decades of fear, silence, and manipulation, the Cameroonian electorate is awakening to a new civic consciousness — one that sees transparency as the foundation of democracy.
Whether Issa Tchiroma Bakary ultimately takes office or not, this election has already produced its most significant outcome: a population that refuses to be invisible.
Conclusion
Cameroon’s future now depends less on the verdict of its courts than on the courage of its citizens.
A nation long subdued by fear is rediscovering its voice — and its energy.
When people begin to count themselves, those who counted on their silence should beware.
For full transparency, Voix-Plurielles provides direct access to the original polling reports (PVs) collected by party observers and citizens across key divisions. Each link below allows independent verification of the vote counts, signatures, and official seals.
PV originaux (scan / photo) : [Lien Google Drive — PV Mfoundi
(Access the original polling station reports for verification:
https://drive.google.com/…/1HE…
Access the original polling station reports for verification: : https://drive.google.com/…/1o52CJpE5y9g9p1Te_sj05O…)
Access the original polling station reports for verification
https://drive.google.com/…/1CvxjHM_72Un0_M…
Access the original polling station reports for verification: https://drive.google.com/…/1rAsNQjKwGaQ9jZXG4irrZw6diFq…
Access the original polling station reports for verification : https://drive.google.com/…/1E6Qc9lPHGdMdhLKXDRUQjcO…
Access the original polling station reports for verification: https://drive.google.com/…/1I2FemzWwINfHsW9D5Pp…
Access the original polling station reports for verification: https://drive.google.com/…/1oMrFlQsQOlNQOKXum…)
(Accédez aux procès-verbaux originaux pour vérification : https://drive.google.com/…/1RaWQLYTuGcbU7L0FnBPg5igm7Bl…
(Accédez aux procès-verbaux originaux pour vérification : https://drive.google.com/…/1nPVZnMkJiwVlF9yKZV… )
(Accédez aux procès-verbaux originaux pour vérification : https://drive.google.com/…/1ZD… )
PV originaux (scan / photo) : [Lien Google Drive — PV DIAMARE
https://drive.google.com/…/1gEz4U3kJ5lz2BBOt8xcZITsLZ…
PV originaux (scan / photo) : [Lien Google Drive — PV DIAMARE
https://drive.google.com/…/1gEz4U3kJ5lz2BBOt8xcZITsLZ…
https://drive.google.com/…/19…
PV originaux (scan / photo) : [Lien Google Drive — PV Mifi
(Accédez aux procès-verbaux originaux pour vérification : https://drive.google.com/…/1GoEdEgH2bDYrynoudxpk2AwLixL… )
https://drive.google.com/…/16kFX8ivHfPW60LbQ…
PV originaux (scan / photo) : [Lien Google Drive — PV Mayo Louti
(Accédez aux procès-verbaux originaux pour vérification :
https://drive.google.com/…/1nSMjGvI4fj… )
https://drive.google.com/…/1kJlZUFFaeI0XvGdeWw0o1d6rZaz…
PV originaux (scan / photo) : [Lien Google Drive — PV Logone et Chari
(Accédez aux procès-verbaux originaux pour vérification :
https://drive.google.com/…/1wSYMDueSCS_V-bFN_eG4uBNI8… )
Editorial Note
The Voix-Plurielles team has verified the authenticity of each document through cross-checking observer signatures, tally consistency, and photographic metadata.
These documents are published for public verification and archival purposes, in line with international principles of electoral transparency and the right to information.