Cameroon's constitutional council has ordered an election rerun in the country’s troubled Anglophone regions following complaints of irregularities and fraud, filed by the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF). 

The allegations were made against president Paul Biya's governing Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, which was declared the winner in the February 9 legislative and municipal elections.

According to Voice of America (VOA) news, the constitutional council determined there was indeed fraud perpetrated by the ruling party, with the assistance of government. 

The council also found that the elections management body ELECAM created new polling centres on the eve of elections and informed only the ruling party of their locations. 

The verdict of the constitutional council cannot be appealed. Its chief justice, Clement Atangana, pronounced the rerun.

SDF told VOA that it was ready for the re-run. 

Among the hundreds of candidates, observers and supporters of the various political parties was Denis Kemlemo, spokesperson for SDF and electoral candidate in the English-speaking Lebialem administrative unit.

VOA reported that Kemlemo was happy with the council's ruling, which has often been accused of being manipulated by Biya.  

There was a low turnout of voters in the Anglophone North-West and South-West regions on election day as a result of ongoing separatist violence. 

Several cases of fraud were reported by observers and political parties at some polling stations.

Kemlemo said that as an eyewitness, and a major player in the elections, he could confirm that no voting took place in a majority of the polling stations as voters were fleeing for their lives. 

The SDF was one of more than 40 political parties that filed petitions with the constitutional council stating that the elections were marred by violence and fraud. The complainants accused the ruling part of ballot stuffing. 

The SDF also accused the military - deployed by government to protect citizens from the insurgents who had vowed to disrupt polling - of casting multiple votes for the ruling party. 

The accusations were denied by government. 

Thousands of people from the English-speaking regions have been escaping the country to neighbouring Nigeria since the beginning of the year, while more followed in the weeks and days leading up to voting as violence increased.

The constitutional council also ruled that people identified as opposition supporters were chased from polling stations and that the separatist fighters  prohibited a majority of voters from casting their ballots.