Cameroon’s electorate is due to vote on 12 October 2025. A presidential decree, issued on Friday 11 July 2025, sets the date of the ballot and specifies the electoral timetable. The elections will be held in a single round, and the President will be elected for a renewable seven-year term. Some 8 million voters are expected to turn out at the polls.
Cameroonian President Paul Biya has put an end to the suspense by making the date of the presidential election official: the ballot will be held on Sunday 12 October 2025. The announcement, made by decree on 11 July, marks the official start of the electoral process. In accordance with the electoral law, the election will be held under the first-past-the-post system, a format familiar to the 8 million or so voters expected to turn out at the polls, according to the provisional list drawn up by Elections Cameroon (Elecam).
This announcement comes after several weeks of pressure from the opposition, which was demanding the rapid publication of the election date. According to the country’s constitution, the date had to be set between 20 and 50 days before the expiry of the presidential term, i.e. between mid-September and mid-October. The President has therefore complied with this requirement, and the country now knows the date of its crucial electoral date.
The decree of 11 July also marks the end of the voter registration process, a crucial stage in guaranteeing the participation of all citizens. Presidential candidates now have five days to submit their applications to Elecam, the body responsible for organising the election. The countdown has officially begun, and the first candidates should soon be registered in this already promising electoral race.
