Cameroonian presidential election, 2004
Encyclopedia
The 2004 Cameroonian presidential election took place in Cameroon
on 11 October 2004. Incumbent
President Paul Biya
was easily re-elected in an election which the opposition claimed had seen widespread electoral fraud
.
was introduced for the 1992 election
but Biya was accused of rigging the election to ensure victory. The last presidential election in 1997
saw Biya re-elected with 93% of the vote after opposition parties boycotted the election. The expectation before the 2004 election was that Biya would be re-elected to another term of office, with no chance that anyone else would be able or allowed to defeat him.
Biya was opposed by 15 other candidates after the opposition failed to agree on a single candidate. A 10-party coalition nominated Adamou Ndam Njoya
for the election, but his candidacy was rejected by the veteran opposition politician John Fru Ndi
who decided to stand as well. Fru Nidi said that he should have been selected instead of Njoya as Fru Nidi's Social Democratic Front had more elected members. Fru Ndi was an anglophone
from western Cameroon who had stood in the 1992 election, while Adamou Ndam Njoya was a Muslim francophone
from northern Cameroon.
There were also reports that Biya backed some of the candidates so they could act as spoilers
.
and developing industry and tourism. One of Biya's campaign slogans was "Free mosquito net
s for pregnant mothers" but there was significant sceptism over the pledges made by Biya after the failure to achieve ones made in previous elections.
The opposition candidates said that the government had mismanaged the economy and failed to address widespread poverty. John Fru Nidi attracted the most supporters to his rallies of any of the opposition candidates, with up to 30,000 attending his rally in Douala
. He pledged to restore previous wage scales for workers, to reduce corruption and poverty, scrap fees at university and remove taxation from small businesses.
Opposition candidates criticised the election as having seen significant amounts of multiple voting and that security forces had harassed opposition agents at polling station
s. They described the election as having been rigged and appealed to the Supreme Court
to annul the results. However most international observers
said that despite some shortcomings the election was mainly satisfactory. These included a group of former United States congressmen
who called the election "fair and transparent"; however, the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues dissented and said that the election had seen many irregularities.
On the 25 October the Supreme Court confirmed the results and rejected the complaints from the opposition. The final results saw President Biya secure 70.9% of the vote as against 17.4% for his nearest rival John Fru Nidi.
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
on 11 October 2004. Incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
President Paul Biya
Paul Biya
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. A native of Cameroon's south, Biya rose rapidly as a bureaucrat under President Ahmadou Ahidjo in the 1960s, serving as Secretary-General of the Presidency from 1968 to 1975 and then as Prime...
was easily re-elected in an election which the opposition claimed had seen widespread electoral fraud
Electoral fraud
Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both...
.
Background
President Biya came to power in 1982 and by 2004 had ruled Cameroon for 22 years. Multi-party democracyMulti-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
was introduced for the 1992 election
Cameroonian presidential election, 1992
A presidential election was held in Cameroon on 11 October 1992. It was the first presidential election since multi-party politics had been legalised, and it was also the first to feature more than one candidate. Incumbent Paul Biya won with 39.98% of the vote. Voter turnout was 71.9%.The 1992...
but Biya was accused of rigging the election to ensure victory. The last presidential election in 1997
Cameroonian presidential election, 1997
Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 12 October 1997. They were boycotted by the main opposition parties, the Social Democratic Front, the National Union for Democracy and Progress, and the Cameroon Democratic Union, as well as the smaller African Peoples Union. As a result incumbent...
saw Biya re-elected with 93% of the vote after opposition parties boycotted the election. The expectation before the 2004 election was that Biya would be re-elected to another term of office, with no chance that anyone else would be able or allowed to defeat him.
Candidates
After announcing that the presidential election would be held on 11 October, President Biya confirmed on 16 September that he would stand for re-election. Before his announcement there had been calls from groups such as university lecturers and over 100 former footballers for him to stand again.Biya was opposed by 15 other candidates after the opposition failed to agree on a single candidate. A 10-party coalition nominated Adamou Ndam Njoya
Adamou Ndam Njoya
Adamou Ndam Njoya is a Cameroonian politician, lawyer, author, and professor. He was Minister of National Education from 1977 to 1980, and he has been the President of the Cameroon Democratic Union , an opposition party, since 1991. He has also been the Mayor of Foumban since 1996, and from 1997...
for the election, but his candidacy was rejected by the veteran opposition politician John Fru Ndi
John Fru Ndi
Ni John Fru Ndi is the founder and leader of Cameroon's Social Democratic Front .Fru Ndi was born in Baba II, near Bamenda in the Northwest Province of Cameroon. The title of Ni, a marker of respect, was given to him when he was born...
who decided to stand as well. Fru Nidi said that he should have been selected instead of Njoya as Fru Nidi's Social Democratic Front had more elected members. Fru Ndi was an anglophone
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from western Cameroon who had stood in the 1992 election, while Adamou Ndam Njoya was a Muslim francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
from northern Cameroon.
There were also reports that Biya backed some of the candidates so they could act as spoilers
Spoiler effect
The spoiler effect describes the effect a minor party candidate with little chance of winning has in a close election, when that candidate's presence in the election draws votes from a major candidate similar to them, thereby causing a candidate dissimilar to them to win the election...
.
Campaign
President Biya initially did not campaign in the election and only made his first campaign stop within the last week before polling day. Biya described his opponents as inexperienced and said that he was only person who could prevent anarchy in Cameroon. He also pledged to improve education, health and women's rights, as well as decentralisingDécentralisation
Décentralisation is a french word for both a policy concept in French politics from 1968-1990, and a term employed to describe the results of observations of the evolution of spatial economic and institutional organization of France....
and developing industry and tourism. One of Biya's campaign slogans was "Free mosquito net
Mosquito net
A mosquito net offers protection against mosquitos, flies, and other insects, and thus against diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and various forms of encephalitis, including the West Nile virus, if used properly and especially if treated with an insecticide, which can double...
s for pregnant mothers" but there was significant sceptism over the pledges made by Biya after the failure to achieve ones made in previous elections.
The opposition candidates said that the government had mismanaged the economy and failed to address widespread poverty. John Fru Nidi attracted the most supporters to his rallies of any of the opposition candidates, with up to 30,000 attending his rally in Douala
Douala
Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Province. Home to Cameroon's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport, it is the commercial capital of the country...
. He pledged to restore previous wage scales for workers, to reduce corruption and poverty, scrap fees at university and remove taxation from small businesses.
Election results
Initial results had President Biya re-elected with about 75% of the vote as against 17% for John Fru Nidi. 12 of the other candidates in the election won less than 1% in the election.Opposition candidates criticised the election as having seen significant amounts of multiple voting and that security forces had harassed opposition agents at polling station
Polling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s. They described the election as having been rigged and appealed to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Cameroon
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body in Cameroon. As defined in Article V of the Constitution of Cameroon, the Supreme Court is above the courts of appeal and the tribunals. It is nominally independent of the executive and legislative branches of government, subject only to the oversight...
to annul the results. However most international observers
Election monitoring
Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization , primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international standards. There are national...
said that despite some shortcomings the election was mainly satisfactory. These included a group of former United States congressmen
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
who called the election "fair and transparent"; however, the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues dissented and said that the election had seen many irregularities.
On the 25 October the Supreme Court confirmed the results and rejected the complaints from the opposition. The final results saw President Biya secure 70.9% of the vote as against 17.4% for his nearest rival John Fru Nidi.