Slow Internet, Fast Fraud? Questions Mount Over Transparency in Cameroon’s Vote

By A.J.

Cameroon’s 2025 presidential election unfolded on October 12 under a cloud of controversy, as widespread reports of polling irregularities coincided with unstable internet connectivity across much of the country.

The combination left many citizens questioning both the transparency and fairness of the process.

Throughout election day, internet access was sporadic and frustratingly slow, with users in Yaounde, Douala, Buea, and Bamenda reporting frequent disruptions that made it difficult to share updates, monitor results, or report incidents in real time.

Many voters resorted to VPN applications to bypass what they believed were deliberate restrictions aimed at limiting communication during the vote.

The timing of the disruptions raised further suspicion. Videos allegedly showing ballot stuffing, altered tally sheets, and irregular counting procedures began surfacing only after voters managed to reconnect through VPNs.

Digital rights advocates say this pattern suggests a coordinated effort to control information flow and obscure evidence of potential fraud.

This isn’t new territory for Cameroon. In 2017, the government imposed a three-month internet blackout on the Anglophone regions of the Northwest and Southwest amid political unrest, one of the longest such shutdowns in African history.

That move drew global condemnation and set a worrying precedent for state interference in digital communication.

Eight years later, that same tactic appears to have evolved. Instead of a total blackout, authorities seem to have employed targeted slowdowns and intermittent blocks, a subtler approach that still achieves the same effect: restricting oversight and muting voices during moments of national importance.

Prior to the election, civil society organisations had asked the government to keep the Internet running, noting that any disruptions would violate citizens’ digital rights.

Despite a moderate voter turnout at most polling stations, many citizens said they felt disconnected and powerless to verify what was happening beyond their immediate environment.

As Cameroon awaits the official election results, questions about transparency, accountability, and the state’s control over communication remain at the center of public debate.