Cameroon vote marked by violence and abstention

Polls have opened in Cameroon elections overshadowed by separatist violence, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and a partial opposition boycott.

Elections for the central African country’s legislature and local councils are taking place for the first time in seven years, after two postponements

Nearly seven million people are eligible to cast ballots on Sunday, with polls closing at 17:00 GMT. Official results are expected within 20 days.

Despite the delays, campaigning has been low-key.

In the capital Yaounde, a few banners put up by the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (French acronym RDPC) barely outnumber the posters calling on people to pick up their litter.

The RDPC supports President Paul Biya, one of the world’s oldest and longest-serving leaders, who has ruled the country for 37 of his 86 years.

The main opposition party, the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) has refused to field a single candidate after its leader, Maurice Kamto, who spent nine months in jail after his defeat in 2018 presidential elections and is now overseas, called for a boycott of the elections.

Read more via Al Jazeera