Cameroon’s 91-Year-Old President Paul Biya to Seek Eighth Term in 2025 Presidential Election
Cameroon’s long-serving President, Paul Biya, has announced his intention to run for an eighth term in the 2025 Presidential Election.
The 91-year-old is one of the world’s oldest and longest-serving leaders, having held the presidency since 1982.
Before ascending to the highest office, Biya served as the country’s Prime Minister for seven years, from 1975 to 1982, under then-President Ahmadou Ahidjo.
In a controversial move, Biya recently postponed the country’s Parliamentary and Municipal elections until 2026, citing security concerns in the Anglophone regions, where a separatist conflict has been raging since 2016.
The conflict, which began as protests against perceived marginalisation by the Francophone-dominated government, has since escalated into a full-blown insurgency, with armed groups calling for the independence of the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions.
Biya’s time in power has been marked by a combination of political stability and growing discontent, with his administration often criticised for authoritarian practices, including the suppression of opposition parties, restrictions on press freedom, and the use of security forces to maintain control.
The majority of appointments Biya made in the ensuing years were members of his own southern Beti ethnic group, which quickly grew to dominate senior prefect positions and the prime minister’s office.
He survived a 1984 coup attempt. When the country’s first multi-party election was finally held in 1992, Biya bested his opposition rival by just four percentage points.
In the decades since, Biya’s party has used everything from fraud to redistricting to expand his victories and the ruling party’s legislative majorities, according to political analysts. Human rights groups have accused him of brazen strongman tactics, including torture and intimidation of his opponents.
Biya has faced challenges in recent years that range from a secessionist movement in Cameroon’s English-speaking provinces to the threat in the north posed by Islamic extremists aligned with the Nigeria-based Boko Haram group.
Critics point to the role that corruption has played in entrenching Biya’s regime, with the spoils allegedly going to his allies in government, the security forces and the president’s family.
Despite these challenges, Biya has managed to maintain a tight grip on power, winning a series of elections that critics argue were marred by fraud and irregularities.
