Appels et contre-appels du « peuple » à la candidature de Paul Biya : affrontement préélectoral, tensions hégémoniques et lutte pour l’alternance politique au Cameroun

This paper questions the “calls” and “counter-calls” for Paul Biya’s candidature as a means to participate in political life. The calls for the candidature of the incumbent President show the construction of political allegiances that underlie various clientelist negotiations initiated by political leaders to maintain their hegemonic positions. However, the counter-calls highlight how, through various strategies, their rivals strive to erode the symbolism which, for more than three decades, showcase Paul Biya as the natural candidate to the presidential duty. By focusing on these electoral mobilisation technologies, this article stresses the procedural dimension of elections. Thus, by giving importance to the pre-electoral period rather than to the short electoral operations, the article proposes an original entry point for the study of the conflictual and contradictory dynamics of Cameroon’s polity.