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CAMEROON’S electoral commission announced on Saturday that it had rejected the candidacy of Maurice Kamto in the forthcoming presidential election.
The former government minister is seen as the main challenger to long-serving President Paul Biya.
The electoral commission, Elecam, said it had approved 13 presidential candidates, including Mr Biya, but had excluded Mr Kamto.
The latter, who has two days to appeal, came second in the last presidential election in 2018, with 14 per cent of the vote, while Mr Biya was credited with over 70 per cent in a ballot marred by irregularities and low turnout.
Mr Biya, 92, the world’s oldest serving head of state, vowed last month to seek re-election on October 12, despite rumours that his health is failing. He has been in power since 1982, nearly half his lifetime.
The Biya government has faced allegations of corruption and has had to deal with a deadly secessionist conflict in the nation’s English-speaking provinces.
Fears of protests and unrest surged around Saturday’s release of the list of approved candidates.
Security forces were deployed around the Elecam headquarters and along major roads in the capital Yaounde and in Douala, the country’s economic hub.
The United Nations Department of Safety and Security had warned on Friday that the announcement could trigger protests in the capital.