• Cameroon's Constitutional Council declared Paul Biya the winner of the presidential election, securing 53.66 percent of the vote amid a tense political climate.

• In the Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara is expected to win a fourth term after an election in which his main political rivals were disqualified.

• Issa Tchiroma finished second in Cameroon with 35.19 percent of the vote, while Ivorian results are expected by October 30 after mostly calm voting.

Cameroon and Ivory Coast are currently experiencing decisive electoral moments. In Yaoundé, the Constitutional Council proclaimed, this Monday, October 27, 2025, the victory of Paul Biya in the presidential election. In Abidjan, the counting of ballots from Sunday, October 26, 2025, is ongoing, but the figures already published indicate that the outgoing president Alassane Ouattara is heading towards a fourth term.

Paul Biya Re-elected to Lead Cameroon

According to the president of the Constitutional Council, Paul Biya, candidate of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), obtained 53.66% of the vote. His main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, of the National Salvation Front of Cameroon (FNSC) and supported by the "Union for Change" coalition, came in second place with 35.19%.

Aged 76, Issa Tchiroma, a former minister and ex-ally of the head of state, had presented himself as a transitional candidate promising reforms and audits of institutions. Twelve candidates were in the running, including Bello Bouba Maigari (UNDP), Cabral Libii (PCRN), and Joshua Osih (SDF).

This proclamation comes in a tense post-electoral context, marked by victory claims from the opposition and several hotspots of tension reported since the weekend. The election, which had about 7.8 million registered voters, remains contested in some areas.

Paul Biya's new term begins as Cameroon prepares to review the 2026 finance bill, starting this November 3rd. This is a delicate exercise for an administration that must relaunch the momentum of the 2020-2030 National Development Strategy (SND30), for which several indicators remain below the objectives of an emerging Cameroon by 2030.

Alassane Ouattara Heading for Another Victory in Ivory Coast

In Ivory Coast, voting ended Saturday evening in a generally calm atmosphere, despite a few isolated incidents in the west of the country and in Abidjan. The president of the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), Ibrahime Coulibaly-Kuibiert, indicated that voting was extended in some polling stations due to late starts: "The law allows for the vote to cover a total period of ten hours," he specified.

Observers believe that Alassane Ouattara will easily win a fourth term, as his main rivals Tidjane Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo were disqualified by the judiciary. This situation is fueling criticism in the world's top cocoa producer.

The CEI has until October 30 to publish the provisional results, before their validation by the Constitutional Council. According to several local sources, technical incidents that occurred with some electronic equipment did not compromise the process, as manual solutions had been planned in case of failure.

In total, nine presidential elections will have been held this year, 2025, in Africa, and five of them (Gabon, Seychelles, Malawi, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast) have already taken place. Four others are expected, including Tanzania on October 29, Guinea-Bissau on November 30, and Guinea and the Central African Republic on December 28, 2025.

Idriss Linge