A presidential election was held in Cameroon

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 9 October 2011. 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...

 stood for another term; he was able to do so due to a constitutional amendment, passed in 2008, that eliminated term limits. Incumbent Paul Biya won the election with over 75% of the vote.

Electoral law change

Some opposition demands regarding voting rights for the diaspora were met before the election, when lawmakers passed an amendment to the electoral law in July 2011.

Candidates

Long-time opposition leader 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...

 also stood as a candidate in the election. Fifty other people submitted paperwork to ELECAM, the electoral commission, seeking to stand as presidential candidates. Observers viewed the opposition as anemic and expected Biya to easily win re-election.

Daniel Soh Fone of the United Socialist Party withdrew before the election, giving his support to Biya.

Result

The provisional result showed that Paul Biya was leading the race in numerous polling stations. The voter turnout was low. Irregularities have been denounced, and many political parties have said they will challenge the results, which will be declared by the Constitutional Council within 15 days. However, ELECAM and international observers from the African Union

African Union

The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...

, La Francophonie

La Francophonie

Francophonie is an international organization of politics and governments with French as the mother or customary language, where a significant proportion of people are francophones , or where there is a notable affiliation with the French language or culture.Formally known as the Organisation...

 and the Commonwealth

Commonwealth

Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...

 praised the election.

A preliminary result count gave the incumbent Biya close to 78% of the votes, with the strongest challenger 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...

following with 10.7% of the votes. Turnout was 66%.
Biya was sworn in for another term as President in a ceremony held at the National Assembly on 3 November.