At the Palais des Congrès in Yaoundé, the Constitutional Council has adjourned its decision in the high-profile case pitting Professor Maurice Kamto and the MANIDEM party against Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) and the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT). The ruling is now set for tomorrow, 3:00 p.m., prolonging uncertainty in a dispute that has captured national attention ahead of the 12 October presidential poll.
The session, chaired by Council President Clément Atangana, earlier saw a procedural tussle over whether Kamto’s petition should be examined jointly with that of Dieudonné Yebga, also filed through MANIDEM. Kamto’s legal team objected strongly to the merger, prompting a temporary adjournment before the Council opted to defer its decision.
So far, the Council has issued five rulings: rejecting two petitions including Léon Theiller Onana’s challenge to President Paul Biya’s candidacy and Vincent Sosthène Fouda’s appeal over his own disqualification and declaring three submissions from Bertin Kisob inadmissible.
The atmosphere outside the Palais des Congrès was tense. Reports indicate that tear gas was deployed to disperse crowds gathered in Yaoundé as the hearings unfolded.
With over two dozen petitions still pending, tomorrow’s decision in the Kamto - MANIDEM case is poised to set the tone for the remainder of the Constitutional Council’s work in the pre-election period.
By Hilltopvoices Newsroom
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