Biya stays in the race as Cameroon electoral body trims contenders to 13

Paul Biya

Cameroon President Paul Biya.

Photo credit: File | AFP

The Cameroonian electoral body has cut out the number of contenders for the presidency to 13, down from 82, the result of a stringent assessment of qualifications.

The list means longrunning President Paul Biya, in office for 43 years now, will compete in the next presidential polls due in October. However, his closest challenger in the past, Maurice Kamto, and 69 others were removed from the list.