Erik Essousse, Director General of Elections Cameroon (Elecam), officially launched the voter registration process for the 2025 elections on January 6 in Mbankomo, Mefou-et-Akono department, Centre region. He told journalists that the target is to reach 8 million registered voters, a goal he considers achievable.

“We currently have 7,845,000 registered voters. We are not far from 8 million. We will easily surpass this mark by March,” Essousse told the press.

However, the opposition believes this target is insufficient. Many of President Paul Biya’s main challengers, who have declared their candidacies for this year’s presidential election, believe their chances of winning would improve with a significantly larger electoral roll.

Cabral Libii, Member of Parliament and leader of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN) claims 13.8 million people in Cameroon are eligible to vote, a figure based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and the Central Bureau of Census and Population Studies (Bucrep).

Libii has been encouraging Cameroonians to register to vote, particularly focusing on youth. According to his figures, more than 4.5 million eligible young voters are not yet registered. Those aged between 20 and 35 are the most underrepresented in the electoral database, he emphasizes.

“You have witnessed my efforts in the National Assembly to secure a better education system, improved training, decent-paying jobs, access to water, electricity, and roads—so that our country can be one of hope and opportunity, where it feels good to live, and where the talent that defines us can flourish. If you do not do your part, all these efforts will be in vain,” Libii said, addressing young people who are yet to register on the electoral rolls.

Source: Sbbc