At age 92, Cameroon’s president shuts down speculation, says he’s seeking an 8th term

Cameroon President Paul Biya delivers a speech during a ceremony at the Boulouris National Cemetery in Boulouris-sur-Mer, south eastern France, Aug. 15, 2024. (Christophe Simon, Pool via AP, File)

YAOUNDE, Cameroon — Cameroon’s 92-year-old president announced Sunday he will seek his eighth term in the October elections. The announcement comes after speculation the aging leader would not run, setting the stage for an electoral showdown.

Paul Biya, Africa’s second-longest-serving president after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, is frequently sick and abroad. Last year, talk spread that he had died, prompting the government to publicly deny the rumors. Cameroon’s second president since independence from France in 1960, Biya has been in power since 1982.

Promising that the best is yet to come in his post on social media, Biya reiterated his determination to rule, saying, “Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us.”

The more than 40 years of Biya’s rule have left a lasting impact. His government has faced various challenges, including allegations of corruption and a secessionist movement in Cameroon’s English-speaking provinces that has forced thousands out of school and triggered deadly clashes with security forces.

“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. Cameroonians deserve democratic change and accountable leadership,” Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights advocate and lawyer told The Associated Press.

Cameroon has also had to deal with spillover violence by the Islamic extremist Boko Haram group, based in neighbouring Nigeria.

Recently, several of Biya’s longtime allies defected to announce their own candidacies for president.

He cruised to victory in 2018 with over 70 per cent of the vote in an election marred by irregularities and low turnout due to ongoing separatist and jihadi violence.

In a region threatened with shrinking democratic space, several other African countries also have presidents accused of using state mechanisms to prolong their stay in power. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni recently sought nomination for a seventh term, a move that would bring him closer to five decades in power in the East African country.

Nalova Akua And Wilson Mcmakin, The Associated Press