Yaoundé, 17 November 2025 — A new wave of resistance is rising from Cameroon’s capital as Issa Tchiroma Bakary, the self-proclaimed President-Elect, confronts over 40 years of entrenched CPDM power and calls for national renewal.
For a nation long governed by the same political establishment, the events unfolding today feel less like routine post-electoral tension and more like the emergence of a popular awakening. In neighborhoods across Yaoundé, in the diaspora, and inside civil society circles, a growing chorus insists that the 2025 election has opened the door to a historic struggle one that goes beyond ballots and demands a reclaiming of sovereignty.
The Breaker of Silence: Tchiroma Steps Into the Space Others Feared
For decades, Cameroon’s politics have been tightly dominated by the CPDM. With Paul Biya in power since 1982, entire generations have lived under a single political order. Critics from activists to international rights organizations have long accused the system of restricting political freedoms, suppressing dissent, and orchestrating elections that routinely favor the ruling party.
Into this landscape stepped Issa Tchiroma Bakary, refusing to accept the official results of the October 12, 2025 presidential election. Instead of retreating as many opposition figures have done in the past, he has advanced with militant determination, declaring himself President-Elect and calling on Cameroonians to reclaim their future.
A Shockwave on Social Media: Decrees Posted on Tchiroma’s Official Facebook Page
The political temperature surged dramatically when two documents styled as presidential decrees appeared on Tchiroma’s official Facebook page.
These were not vague statements or broad declarations.
They were structured, formal, state-like documents complete with the coat of arms of Cameroon.
The First Decree: A Claim to Sovereign Mandate
It asserts that:
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The people’s will was expressed during the election,
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that institutional conditions allegedly restricted full democratic expression,
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and that, under such exceptional circumstances, the “President-Elect” is empowered to act independently.
The Second Decree: Alice Nkom Appointed Spokesperson
The next page officially names Maître Alice Nkom, a respected human-rights lawyer, as spokesperson of the Présidence Élue. She is empowered to:
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communicate national positions,
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represent the “President-Elect” in diplomatic and media engagements,
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and coordinate resistance messaging.
The documents’ publication on Tchiroma’s page electrified supporters, who view them as the first concrete steps toward building a counter-institutional authority.
Why People Are Rising: A Crisis Four Decades in the Making
The activist energy we see today is not sudden. It is the eruption of decades of pent-up frustration.
A System Too Rigid to Reform
For many Cameroonians, the CPDM’s long rule has eroded faith in traditional political mechanisms. Elections come and go, but the outcome rarely changes. State institutions, from electoral bodies to the judiciary, are widely perceived by critics as extensions of ruling-party authority.
A Generation Without Change
Younger Cameroonians have never witnessed a presidential transition. Many adults have lived their entire political lives under the same leadership. This has fueled a belief among citizens, activists, and opposition voices that meaningful change can no longer come from the ballot box alone.
A Disputed Election as a Catalyst
The 2025 presidential election became the final spark the moment when frustration coalesced into organized resistance. For those rallying behind Tchiroma, this is not merely about one man. It is about ending political stagnation.
A Parallel Presidency Emerges
The Présidence Élue is not symbolic. It is not performative.
It is structuring itself, issuing decrees, naming officials, and communicating with the population.
This is a bold, confrontational strategy that signals the beginning of a dual-presidency era a clash between state power and popular legitimacy, between institutional continuity and civic uprising.
It is the most serious challenge the CPDM has faced in more than 40 years.
A Struggle With Three Possible Outcomes
1. A Negotiated Transition
Pressure mounts; dialogue becomes unavoidable.
2. A Prolonged Dual-Power Confrontation
Two authorities, two narratives, one nation in turmoil.
3. A Hardline State Response
Crackdowns, arrests, and deepening polarization.
The streets, the diaspora networks, and the digital public sphere will all play decisive roles in determining which path Cameroon takes.
A New Chapter in Cameroon’s History
The resistance rising from Yaoundé is not just political.
It is psychological.
It is generational.
It is the reclaiming of a voice long suppressed.
With Issa Tchiroma positioning himself as President-Elect, and with decrees already circulating from his camp, the country stands at a crossroads where courage, tension, and hope converge.
One thing is certain:
Cameroon will not emerge from this moment unchanged.
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