Cameroon Court Ruling Boosts Presidential Candidates to 23 c.2011 Bloomberg News

Sept. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Cameroon’s Supreme Court ruled that two presidential candidates rejected by the electoral commission may run in the Oct. 9 election, bringing the total number of aspirants to 23.

The ruling late yesterday allows Anicet Ekane Georges of Manidem political party and Soh Fone Daniel of Parti Socialiste Unifie to run in the election.

Chief Justice Alexis Dipanda Mouelle told the hearing that the electoral commission was wrong to reject their candidacies, due to their failure to produce tax returns, because neither earns a taxable income.

Candidates in the race include incumbent Paul Biya, who has led Africa’s fourth-largest cocoa producer since 1982, and opposition leader John Fru Ndi.

--Editors: Karl Maier, Digby Lidstone

To contact the reporter on this story: Pius Lukong in Yaounde via Accra at ebowers1bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzinbloomberg.net.