1992 Cameroonian presidential election

(Redirected from Cameroonian presidential election, 1992)

← 1988

11 October 1992

1997 →

Registered

4,195,687

Turnout

71.87%


Nominee	Paul Biya	John Fru Ndi	Bello Bouba Maigari
Party	RDPC	SDF	UNDP
Popular vote	1,185,466	1,066,602	569,887
Percentage	39.98%	35.97%	19.22%

Results by province
Biya:      40-50%      60–70%      70–80%      >90%
Ndi:      50-60%      60–70%      80–90%
Maigari:      50-60%      60-70%

President before election

Paul Biya
RDPC

Elected President

Paul Biya
RDPC

Politics of Cameroon


Constitution Human rights
Government President (list) Paul Biya Prime Minister (list) Joseph Ngute Government
Parliament Senate President: Marcel Niat Njifenji National Assembly President: Cavayé Yéguié Djibril
Administrative divisions Regions Departments Communes Villages
Elections Recent elections Presidential: 2018 2025 Parliamentary: 2020 2025 Political parties
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: Lejeune Mbella Mbella Diplomatic missions of / in Cameroon Passport Visa requirements Visa policy
Cameroon portal Other countries
v t e

Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 11 October 1992. They were the first presidential election since multi-party politics had been legalised, and were also the first to feature more than one candidate. Incumbent Paul Biya won with 40% of the vote. Voter turnout was 72%.

Background

The 1992 presidential elections were a crucial moment in Cameroon's post-independence history. Although an assortment of opposition leaders—most importantly the anglophone Social Democratic Front leader John Fru Ndi—furiously opposed President Biya and sought to unseat him between 1990 and 1992, they were ultimately unable to do so. Although opposition was successful in forcing Biya to accept multi-party politics and severely pressured his regime, he nevertheless retained control of the country and faced a divided opposition in the 1992 elections. The opposition's failure to present a single candidate offered a significant advantage to Biya, as the electoral law did not provide for a second round, and therefore the opposition candidates could not unite against Biya in the event he failed to win a majority.

Results

Official results showed Biya winning the election with 40% of the vote, while Fru Ndi trailed with 36%. The results were denounced as fraudulent by the opposition, and Fru Ndi claimed victory, but his claim proved fruitless.


Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Paul Biya	Cameroon People's Democratic Movement	1,185,466	39.98
	John Fru Ndi	Social Democratic Front	1,066,602	35.97
	Bello Bouba Maigari	National Union for Democracy and Progress	569,887	19.22
	Adamou Ndam Njoya	Cameroon Democratic Union	107,411	3.62
	Jean-Jacques Ekindi	Progressive Movement	23,525	0.79
	Emah Otu	Grouping of Patriotic Forces	12,545	0.42
Total			2,965,436	100.00

Valid votes			2,965,436	98.34
Invalid/blank votes			50,012	1.66
Total votes			3,015,448	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			4,195,687	71.87
Source: Nohlen et al.

Aftermath

After the election, the opposition began a long and gradual decline in strength from which it has never recovered, while Biya began to consolidate power again.

References

Elections in Cameroon, African Elections Database
Dieter Nohlen, Michael Krennerich & Bernhard Thibaut (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p184 ISBN 0-19-829645-2

v t e Elections and referendums in Cameroon
Presidential elections	1965 1970 1975 1980 1984 1988 1992 1997 2004 2011 2018 2025
Parliamentary elections	1964 1970 1973 1978 1983 1988 1992 1997 2002 2007 2013 2020 2025
Pre-union elections	French Cameroon: 1946 (Mar) 1946 (Dec) 1952 1956 1960 Southern Cameroons: 1954 1957 1959 1961
Municipal elections	2007 2013 2020
French elections	1945 1946 (Jun) 1946 (Nov) 1951 1956 1957
Referendums	1945 1946 (May) 1946 (Oct) 1958 1960 (French) 1961 (British) 1972

Categories: