Cameroon president's main rival Maurice Kamto barred from election

Cameroon’s opposition leader Maurice Kamto has been excluded by electoral authorities from the list of approved candidates able to run in an October 12 presidential vote.

Kamto was not among the 13 candidates on the provisional list issued Saturday by the national electoral council. He is widely considered as the most serious challenger to President Paul Biya.

Kamto, 71, had officially submitted his candidacy last week, one of 83 names put forward to the electoral council.

The definitive list of candidates will be announced in the coming days after any challenges to the provisional list are considered.

Kamto came second to Biya in the 2018 presidential election. He sought to run as the candidate for the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM).

In the 2018 election, Kamto stood for the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC).

The 92-year-old Biya has been in power since 1982 and is seeking an eighth term in office.

Among the candidates approved to run in the election are former prime minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya's for nearly 30 years, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who resigned as employment minister in early June to submit his candidacy.