African Movement for New Independence and Democracy

MANIDEM originated as a faction of the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon and initially operated under the name UPC-MANIDEM.^[3] The party was legally recognized on 3 March 1995.^[4] Anicet Ekane was subsequently one of its principal leaders and served as its president for several periods.

In the 2025 presidential election, MANIDEM initially supported opposition leader Maurice Kamto as its candidate.^[5] His candidacy was rejected by Elections Cameroon after another candidate, Dieudonné Yebga, was also submitted under the MANIDEM label. The Constitutional Council upheld the rejection against Kamto in August 2025.^[6]

Following the invalidation of Maurice Kamto's candidacy, MANIDEM shifted its support to Issa Tchiroma, with party president Anicet Ekane explaining that the decision formed part of the party's strategy of alliance for the election.^[7][8]

On 1 December 2025, Ekane died while in detention in Yaoundé at the age of 74. He had been arrested in October during the political crisis that followed the presidential election.^[9]

Following Ekane's death, Valentin Dongmo was selected as national president by the party's leadership on 13 June 2026. The new leadership was formally presented in Douala on 30 July 2026, with Dongmo succeeding Ekane as president.^[10][11]