Divided and Ineffective: Is Cameroon’s Opposition the Dumbest in Africa?

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CameroonOnline.ORG | As Cameroon approaches its October 2025 presidential election, questions are mounting about the ability of the opposition to challenge President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982 and is seeking an eighth term at the age of 92.

In a recent article, Jeune Afrique asked whether Cameroon has “the dumbest opposition in Africa,” reflecting widespread frustration with the opposition’s repeated failures to present a united front. Despite public discontent over governance, corruption, and economic hardship, opposition parties remain divided by rivalries, personal ambitions, and lack of strategy.

Past elections illustrate the problem. In 2018, opposition leader Maurice Kamto and others failed to coordinate, splitting the vote and enabling Biya’s easy reelection. Today, little has changed: key figures continue to resist forming a coalition, even as public pressure builds for an alternative to Biya’s decades-long rule.

Observers argue that without unity and a clear program, the opposition risks once again legitimizing Biya’s hold on power. Meanwhile, government control over the electoral process and shrinking civic space make the opposition’s challenge even steeper.

With less than a year to go, the central question remains whether opposition leaders can overcome fragmentation—or whether Cameroon’s political stage will continue to be defined by a dominant ruling party and a divided opposition.