Cameroon President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest active head of state at 92, will seek re-election in the 12 October presidential vote, aiming for another term after 42 years as president.
Biya, Cameroon’s longest-serving leader who succeeded its first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, has stayed in power by controlling politics and suppressing opponents despite repeated claims of vote rigging.
“I am a candidate in the presidential election,” he wrote on his official X account. “Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face.”
The confirmation ends months of speculation, although Biya’s candidacy had long been expected. He has been posting regularly over the past few weeks, leading up to Sunday’s announcement.
Biya is a beneficiary of 2008 constitutional changes that removed presidential term limits, allowing him to run indefinitely. He won his last term in 2018 with over 70 percent of the vote amid low turnout and claims of fraud.
In recent years, the president’s health has raised concerns, especially after he disappeared from public view for 42 days last year, sending the rumour mill into overdrive.
He later re-emerged in public, with official sources saying he had rested under medical supervision following a heavy diplomatic schedule in July and August.
Since last year, members of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) and other supporters have openly urged Biya to run again.
“President Biya’s announcement to run again is a clear sign of Cameroon’s stalled political transition. After over 40 years in power, what the country needs is renewal – not repetition,” Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights advocate and lawyer, told AP news agency.
“Cameroonians deserve democratic change and accountable leadership.”
Meanwhile, two former allies of President Biya have left his coalition and declared their own presidential bids. Opposition figures including Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front, lawyer Akere Muna, and Cabral Libii are also running.
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