Kamto Accuses Elecam of Targeted Voter Suppression

Kamto Accuses Elecam of Targeted Voter Suppression

Maurice Kamto, leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) and candidate of the Political Alliance for Change (APC) in the 2025 presidential election, held a press conference on November 14 in Yaoundé, where he directed sharp criticism at Elections Cameroon (Elecam). Kamto accused Elecam of deliberately rejecting a large number of voter registrations due to missing fingerprint data, calling this a “false pretense.”
Since the voter registration period closed, over 73,000 registrations have been reportedly rejected for lack of fingerprints. Kamto alleged that these rejections appear selective, targeting areas where his party has substantial support: “How can we explain that this electoral purge only affects regions that, according to the last presidential election, would favor us?”
Kamto specifically cited the Center region, particularly Mfoundi department (Yaoundé), where he claims the MRC has a strong base, as well as the West and Littoral regions, where his party is well-established. Indeed, biometric rejection statistics show these three regions account for the majority of rejected registrations.
A source within Elecam, responsible for overseeing voter registration, acknowledged that some registrations were indeed rejected due to missing fingerprints but denied any party targeting. “This issue is due to outdated equipment,” the anonymous source explained, adding that many fingerprints collected in the field were unreadable at Elecam’s National Biometric Center (CNBE), where all registrations are processed. 
In an effort to address this, Elecam’s general management has instructed that rejected registrations be redone with corrected biometric data. “We have reached out to those affected, but not everyone has responded. We’ll be reattempting this in January. There’s no issue here,” the source assured.
Elecam has consistently denied allegations of fraud, emphasizing that the electoral system is inclusive, making fraud attempts difficult. “We aim for a credible voter list, one that is accepted by all parties. Everyone, including political parties, is represented on the commission, which allows for suggestions on improving registration processesNbut not on altering names in the voter database,” stated Elecam’s Director-General Éric Essoussé in September. He added, “Our system is designed so that each step, from registration to distribution of voter cards, is accountable to all stakeholders.”
Michel Ange Nga

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