By Dr. Peter Mbile, August 27, 2025
-A defining moment for Cameroon
To say that the 2025 election is important for Cameroon would be an understatement.
It represents not merely a transition but a defining moment in the nation’s history. Cameroon, Africa’s dark horse where diversity thrives, has long been more than the sum of its parts.
Whether in sports, culture, science, finance, or international diplomacy, the country consistently punches above its medium-sized demographic weight of roughly 30 million people and almost 500,000 square kilometers.
But a nation that has demonstrated such latent potential cannot continue to be stifled by incoherent governance or timid choices.
The stakes are higher now, in a world defined by multipolar competition and Africa’s rising strategic relevance.
Among the 12 presidential candidates, the nation must identify the leadership that can take Cameroon boldly into the future.
-The pressure and temptation of the status quo
A significant bloc of the electorate and political elite is inclined to maintain the status quo. Their reasoning is rooted in fear; fear of more chaos, of more instability, of losing existing positions and gains.
But such caution, when excessive, becomes paralysis.
Cameroon cannot afford paralysis in the face of mounting socio-economic and security pressures, especially with nearly 70% of its citizens being young, unemployed, and disillusioned, a reality that has already transformed youth from a demographic dividend into a national security concern.
Maintaining the status quo without addressing underlying governance contradictions risks not stability, but implosion.
The question, then, is not whether Cameroon can afford change, but whether it can afford not to change, soon.
-The crisis of policy incoherence
The most consistent weakness of the current system lies in its reliance on contradictory, often incoherent policies.
Policies are experiments, should be mutually reinforcing, oriented toward short-term behavior change and long-term positive transformation.
Instead, Cameroonians face a governance environment where laws are wielded often to empower ministries, consolidate power, or reinforce state capture.
–A few examples:
– Counter-terrorism laws undermining constitutional guarantees of freedom of association and expression.
– MoUs and decrees from MINFOF contradicting the same local freedoms (1990 laws)
– The July 2025 decree on Notaries Public, contradicting the spirit of the Special Status provisions.
Such incoherences erode trust, hinders entrepreneurship, weakens democracy, and victimizes ordinary citizens; the very people who should be carrying the nation’s aspirations forward.
In a multipolar and competitive world, such contradictions are luxuries Cameroon cannot afford.
-The fight against corruption: nuance required
Almost every candidate promises to fight corruption.
This resonates with citizens because corruption has long been the nation’s cankerworm. Yet for many candidates, the promises are sloganeering, showmanship, and lack indepth analysis
A more analytical approach is needed. Some candidates do that.
There are two types of corruption:
1- Cultural/Systemic corruption, entrenched patterns of patronage and informal transactions that shape daily life.
2- Opportunistic corruption, abuse of power, rent-seeking, and bureaucratic extortion.
Effective anti-corruption strategies must differentiate between these forms.
Centralizing the fight in one man or agency such as CONAC is inadequate.
Instead, responsibility should be shared; governance should be decentralized, democracy broadened, and grassroots economic growth promoted as allies of anticorruption.
These measures will naturally “crowd out” corruption by reducing the incentives and opportunities for abuse.
The real litmus test for candidates, therefore, is whether they see corruption as merely a slogan, or as a symptom of deeper institutional incoherence that requires systemic reform. Few candidates are looking that way.
-Federalism, identity, and the question of trust
Some candidates advance fiery propositions of federalism or communal federalism. On paper, these ideas align with Cameroon’s diversity and could empower local communities.
Yet the details remain scarce, and the risks are real.
Cameroon remains deeply tribal and culturally conscious. Population movements across the country mean that indigenous groups often feel threatened by the voting strength of “migrant” communities now residing in their ancestral lands.
Federalism, if poorly designed, could aggravate fears of dispossession and undermine social cohesion. A better proposition to the ineffective, incoherent promises of the status quo must be articulated.
Any serious proposal for federalism must therefore go beyond rhetoric.
It must demonstrate how local autonomy will be reconciled with national unity, and how indigenous concerns will be addressed in a manner that ensures both representation and fairness.
Fear is a powerful force.
-Diaspora, opportunists, and the numbers game
The political field also includes aspirants from the diaspora and opportunists whose strategies range from plagiarism of party logos to ethnic or religious majoritarianism.
The latter category is particularly concerning:
those who base their presidential bids solely on the sheer size of their ethnic or religious constituencies, ignoring the need for policy, strategy, or national vision.
This majoritocracy is a dangerous proposition, reducing citizenship to tribal arithmetic rather than shared destiny.
Cameroonians must resist this trap.
They are not ignorant, and their choice in 2025 must rise above numbers and parochial loyalties.
-Guiding compasses for voter decision
The field of candidates is large, but the guiding compasses for voters are clear:
-Can the candidate break free from the inertia of the status quo?
-Does the candidate understand and address policy incoherence?
-Is their anti-corruption stance analytical and nuanced, not just a blunt litigation machine, rhetorical and guillotine promises? Will anyone be left after the guillotine stops?
-Do their federalist or decentralisation ideas address both unity and diversity? Does it protect indigenous populations? How?
-Are their strategies rooted in knowledge and vision, rather than ethnic, tribal numbers or empty slogans?
These compasses should shape the national conversation and guide citizens in identifying leadership for ‘all Cameroonians’ , not just some.
Take-home: hope, not fear
The 2025 election is not simply about changing leaders; it is about redefining the nation’s trajectory. Cameroonians must make decisions grounded not in fear, tribalism, or rhetoric, but in analysis, hope, and vision.
The challenges of policy incoherence, corruption, tribalism, and governance failures cannot be wished away.
They must be confronted by leadership that is bold, inclusive, and forward-looking.
Among the thirteen candidates, such leadership does exist.
The burden now lies on citizens, analysts, and opinion leaders to sift through the noise, highlight the clarity, and ensure that Cameroon does not miss this defining moment in the heart of a rising Africa and an emerging multipolar world.