Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Peter Nagy Jr., has delivered a blistering critique of Cameroon’s electoral system, describing it as little more than a façade designed to mask entrenched authoritarianism.
Speaking in an interview on Cameroon’s political landscape, the retired diplomat who once served as U.S. ambassador to Guinea and Ethiopia said nothing meaningful had changed in the country’s elections since the controversial 1992 polls, widely remembered as one of Cameroon’s most disputed contests.
“If you look at Cameroon from the front, it looks like a democracy with all the institutions of elections. But if you open the door and look behind, you just start shaking your head,” Nagy said.
“Elections Stolen Before and After the Vote”
Nagy dismissed the notion that rigging takes place solely on election day, insisting instead that the real manipulation occurs long before ballots are cast.
He cited voter registration hurdles, biased institutions, restrictions on opposition campaigns, intimidation of candidates, and selective arrests as systemic flaws that predetermine the outcome. Even after votes are cast, he argued, tallying and transparency issues further erode credibility.
“Elections in Cameroon are not stolen on Election Day. They are stolen in the process leading up to the election and in the process after,” Nagy remarked.
A Bet on the Inevitable
With the October 12, 2025 presidential election looming, Nagy cast doubt on the usefulness of international support for Cameroon’s electoral process, calling it a waste of taxpayer money.
“Any international organization or country that puts one dollar into the elections is cheating their taxpayers. I will bet anyone that the outcome is already decided the 92-year-old candidate is going to be declared the winner, regardless of how many votes he gets,” he said, in a pointed reference to President Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982.
Nagy quipped that contrary to exaggerations, Biya would not turn 100 while in office, but “only 99” if he completes another seven-year term.
Lessons From Ethiopia, Warning for Cameroon
Drawing parallels with Ethiopia, Nagy recalled how donor nations once argued over sending election observers without grasping the deeper flaws in the system.
“You can have a million election observers standing shoulder to shoulder, but if the government in power is not willing to have itself voted out, it won’t happen. The ruling party will win,” he said.
A Voice With Experience
Tibor Nagy’s words carry weight in diplomatic circles. Born in Hungary and later becoming a U.S. citizen, Nagy served decades as a career foreign service officer. He was U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and Guinea before rising to Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (2018–2021).
Though no longer in office, his outspoken assessment of Cameroon’s political system underscores mounting skepticism abroad over the credibility of elections in a country where opposition voices face repression and institutions are widely seen as beholden to the ruling party.
As Cameroonians prepare to vote on October 12, Nagy’s warning is stark: the outcome may already be written, regardless of what happens at the ballot box.
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