Cameroon’s president seeks eighth term to extend 43-year rule

The world’s oldest head of state, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, 92, has said he will run once more for re-election in October aiming to extend his 43 years in power.

“Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face,” he said in a post on X.

He added that his decision to go for an eighth term came after “numerous and insistent” calls by people from all regions in Cameroon and the diaspora.

Biya’s administration has faced criticism over corruption, embezzlement, bad governance and failure to tackle security challenges. There have also been concerns about his health and ability to govern.

His absence from the public for more than six weeks last year led to speculation about his well-being and unfounded rumours that he had died.

His candidacy was expected but not formally confirmed until Sunday’s social media post.

Biya has never lost an election since taking power in 1982 and if he wins another seven-year term he could be president until he is nearly 100.

There have been growing calls from inside and outside Cameroon for him to step aside and give way for fresh leadership in the central African nation.

His candidacy follows a recent political divorce from key allies from the northern regions, who had been crucial in helping secure votes in previous elections from that part of the country.

Two of these men – prominent minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari – recently quit the ruling coalition and separately announced plans to run in the election.

Last month, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had “broken” public trust and he was switching to a rival party.

Multiple opposition figures, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto, as well as Joshua Osih, Akere Muna, and Cabral Libii, have also announced their candidacies.

However, members of the governing Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement and other supporters have since last year publicly called for Biya to seek another term. He was already the de-facto candidate as the party leader.

Biya abolished term limits in 2008, enabling him to seek the presidency indefinitely.

He won the 2018 elections with more than 71% of the vote although opposition groups said there were widespread irregularities.

Reacting to Biya’s latest bid for the presidency, many people on the streets of the capital Yaoundé told the BBC they did not feel safe commenting openly on politics for fear of reprisals. Others withheld their names, ages or occupations out of caution.

“Never in the political history of nations have I seen or heard that a man of that age, is declaring his candidacy in a presidential election,” said one member of the public, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“I really thought he would go and rest, and hand over to a new generation,” another local resident, Camille Esselem, said of Biya in surprise at the news.

However, some people welcomed another seven years under the veteran leader.

“The president still has much to offer the Cameroonian people,” said public sector worker Ngono Marius, adding, “if he is a candidate it means he’s capable to lead”.

Sylvia Tipa, a consultant in the city, told the BBC that although she believes in change and the democratic principle of “relaying” power to the next comer, maybe “there’s no-one better than [Biya]”.

“So far he has done a lot for the nation – we see his role played in conflict management and many other aspects,” she added, wondering if perhaps his long stay in power was God’s doing.