A rival of Cameroon's President Paul Biya has officially submitted his candidacy for October's presidential vote, according to a list published on Friday by election authorities.

Maurice Kamto, 71, who came second to Biya in the 2018 presidential election, will stand for the African Movement for New Independence and Democracy (MANIDEM), the party's leader Anicet Ekane confirmed to a local television station.

In 2018, Kamto stood for the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC), but Ekane said that he would "resign from the MRC to join MANIDEM", a party founded in the 1990s and rooted in Pan-Africanism.

The 92-year-old Biya is seeking an eighth term in office and has been in power since 1982.

Number of candidates

So far, 19 candidates have signed up to stand in the October 12 election, including former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya for nearly 30 years, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who resigned as employment minister in early June to submit his candidacy.

The definitive list of candidates will be announced in early August.