The gates at the headquarters of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) just like those of regional office have officially closed. As the clock struck midnight on 21 July 2025, the window for presidential candidacy submissions slammed shut marking the end of a dramatic and historic phase in Cameroon’s electoral calendar.
In 2018, just 28 aspirants submitted their files. This year, the number swelled to over 80. It is a remarkable leap and one that deserves more than a passing glance.
To some, the surge may appear chaotic, evidence of political adventurism or a crowded field with little strategic value. But beneath the surface lies something more profound: a growing belief that leadership is not a birthright nor the preserve of an elite club.
The sheer volume of submissions this year suggests a new appetite for political expression. It reveals an expanding pool of Cameroonians from varying regions, professions, age groups, and ideologies who are daring to see themselves in the highest office of the land. For a country long dominated by a tightly managed political hierarchy, this is no small shift. It is a tremor at the foundations of political convention.
The sharp increase in aspirants also reflects a generational and psychological shift. Whereas earlier years may have been marked by resignation or quiet cynicism, 2025 reveals a different impulse: one of participation. Even knowing the administrative, legal and financial hurdles ahead, over 80 individuals completed the process. That in itself is a signal of rising political engagement.
For the first time in recent memory, the presidency no longer appears distant or untouchable. Its mythology is being rewritten not through revolt, but through paperwork, stamps, and self-belief. That is democracy at work, however imperfect its implementation.
Now that submissions are closed, attention turns to the legal and procedural rigour of the review process. ELECAM and the Constitutional Council will be expected to apply the law fairly, transparently, and without political interference.
We already know that not all aspirants will survive the coming scrutiny. In 2018, only 9 out of 28 candidates were retained. With over 80 files this time, the drop-off could be even steeper. Many will fall short due to missing documents, insufficient endorsements, unpaid deposits, or eligibility issues under the Constitution and Electoral Code. But rejection from the ballot is not rejection from relevance. Every aspirant who declared stood for something and collectively, they have altered the tone and temperature of national discourse.
This moment must not be trivialised. It is not just a flurry of ambition. It is a reflection of a society testing its democratic muscles. Some aspirants will become future party leaders, lawmakers, mayors, or ministers. Others will return to private life with renewed civic awareness. All will have contributed to the growing narrative that political space in Cameroon must widen, not shrink.
The true story of this election season may not be who wins in October, but what this unprecedented level of participation means for the country’s democratic future. Cameroonians are no longer waiting to be chosen. They are stepping forward prepared, vocal, and determined.
That is a victory in itself. And it is only the beginning.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
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