Cameroon party president stands by election boycott
Issa Tchiroma Bakary reaffirms National Salvation Front's decision not to contest polls despite party suspension.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, president of Cameroon's National Salvation Front (FSNC), confirmed on November 2, 2026, that his party will not participate in the upcoming legislative and municipal elections. This decision was made despite a three-month suspension of the FSNC by Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji.
The FSNC stated that the minimum conditions for democratic elections were not met, and participation would legitimize a government whose presidential election victory Tchiroma disputes. The party also cited the deaths during post-election unrest and the detention of individuals as reasons for their stance. Elh Moussa Firissou, acting secretary-general of the party's central committee, described the boycott as an "unchangeable political position."
The party's boycott was first announced on February 6, 2026, by the FSNC's central committee in a statement signed by Firissou. The FSNC argued that the minimum conditions for democratic, transparent, and peaceful elections were not in place.
Why it mattersCameroonian citizens who are members of the National Salvation Front will not have their party represented in the upcoming legislative and municipal elections.