2025 presidential election: Cameroon opposition leader, Maurice Kamto set for key Paris meeting

Cameroon opposition leader, Prof. Maurice Kamto is set to hold a "major meeting" in Paris on Saturday, May 31, 2025 according to a circular issued by the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) and signed by the party's secretary-general, Ndong Christopher Nveh. 

Roger Justin Noah, the MRC's deputy secretary-general, stated that "this meeting is a step in the process of staying connected with Cameroonians," emphasizing its role in Kamto's declared candidacy for the upcoming presidential election. 

Prior to this engagement with the diaspora, Kamto has held numerous discussions with various professional segments of Cameroonian society, including artists and educators. 

Noah indicated that the MRC president intends to continue these consultations with other social groups within the country. 

During each of these interactions, Kamto gathers the concerns of his interlocutors to further develop his political platform. 

"Maurice Kamto has a political program to propose to Cameroonians, and he wanted to enrich it with the ideas of those to whom this program is intended," explained Emmanuel Simh, an MRC vice-president, in a recent interview. 

"We are used to top-down decision-making, but candidate Maurice Kamto has decided to reach out to the grassroots," he added. 

While previous exchanges focused on specific social groups, the MRC highlights that the Paris meeting is primarily a political gathering. 

However, the party notes that Maurice Kamto is also expected to meet with selected diaspora figures on the sidelines of this event. 

These informal consultations could broaden his outreach and mobilisation efforts. This initiative has reignited public debate regarding the MRC's capacity to field a candidate in the presidential election. 

Following Kamto's second-place finish in the 2018 presidential election with 14.4% of the vote, the MRC boycotted the legislative and municipal elections in February 2020. 

Critics argued that the party lacks the required elected representatives to nominate a presidential candidate. MRC officials dispute this, asserting that elected officials have since joined their ranks. 

The debate remains ongoing but does not appear to diminish the confidence expressed by Maurice Kamto.

BY MICHAEL ANGE 

Cameroon opposition leader, Prof. Maurice Kamto