US EditionCameroon’s Biya, World’s Oldest Head of State, Readies for Election
Paul Biya seeks to extend his four-decade rule amid a divided opposition and ongoing security threats from separatists and jihadists, with analysts citing entrenched patronage and flawed institutions.
- On Sunday, Paul Biya, the 92-year-old president, is seeking an eighth term as Cameroon’s polls open with him the central figure in the race.
- Biya's political durability is tied to structural advantages including a 2008 constitutional amendment removing two-term limit, an entrenched patronage system, flawed electoral institutions, a loyal army and divided opposition.
- Arrests and threats have historically kept opposition forces fragmented and constrained, with Kamto arrested after denouncing the 2018 result and protests dispersed by security forces.
- Elite defections and a high-profile family rebuke have added pressure on Biya as two cabinet members from vote-rich northern regions resigned soon after, and Brenda Biya posted last month on TikTok.
- Security and economic strains, from insurgency to chronic service shortages, frame voters' concerns amid Anglophone separatists, jihadist groups, daily hardships, and Biya's health including a 42-day disappearance last year.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Cameroon’s Biya, world’s oldest head of state, readies for election
With less than a week until Cameroon’s election, the world’s oldest head of state appears to have a strong chance of victory. Paul Biya, the 92-year-old president who has been in power since 1982, is seeking an eighth term in polls that will open on Sunday.Opposition parties have failed to form a united front against Biya, who has rejected calls to stand aside amid speculation about his health. His own daughter said she will not vote for him in …
Paul Biya has been governing Cameroon for more than four decades and is now preparing for the eighth term. He prefers to stay in Geneva, while the business in Yaoundé is run by a de facto president.
Paul Biya, 92-year-old President of Cameroon announced that he would apply for a mandate, claiming that he would thus pass on the calls “digital and insistent” to remain in force,...
The Straits Times
UpstractCameroon's Biya, 92, heads for eighth term despite clamour to step aside
YAOUNDE - Announcing his bid for an eighth term in July, Paul Biya, Cameroon's 92-year-old president, said he was heeding \"numerous and insistent\" calls to stay in office, but this year's election cycle has also featured striking appeals for him to step aside. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Cameroon: Ageing Biya Seeks Eighth Term Amid Growing Calls To Step Down
By Ebi Kesiena Cameroon’s 92-year-old president, Paul Biya, has declared his intention to seek an eighth term in office, citing “numerous and insistent” appeals for him to remain in power. Yet, this year’s election season has been marked by unusually vocal pleas for him to retire. The first challenge came from Catholic Archbishop Samuel Kleda, who said on French radio last Christmas that it was “not realistic” for Biya to continue leading the co…
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