Cameroon’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, is pressing ahead with his bid for an eighth term in office, defying mounting domestic and international calls for him to step down after more than four decades in power.
The 92-year-old leader, the world’s oldest sitting head of state, announced in July that he would seek re-election, saying he was responding to “numerous and insistent” appeals to remain in office.
But the 2025 election campaign has been marked by unprecedented dissent, from the Church, his cabinet, and even his own family.
Catholic Archbishop Samuel Kleda publicly urged Biya to retire, calling it “not realistic” for him to continue ruling.
Two cabinet ministers from the country’s politically crucial northern regions have defected, openly questioning his ability to lead.
And last month, Biya’s daughter Brenda Biya, 27, briefly made headlines after posting a TikTok video urging Cameroonians to vote her father out, saying he “has made too many people suffer.”
Though she later retracted the statement, the video continues to circulate widely online.
Despite these challenges, analysts say Biya remains the frontrunner in the October 12 vote, buoyed by a deeply entrenched patronage system, weak electoral oversight, a loyal military, and a fragmented opposition.
“The president has managed to enforce loyalty to him and the system,” said Arrey Ntui, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.
“There is no more independent thinking, the narrative is that the president is there, he’s able to run again, and that’s it.”
Biya, who has ruled since 1982 after succeeding his mentor Ahmadou Ahidjo, has survived a coup attempt, removed presidential term limits in 2008, and won every subsequent election amid accusations of vote rigging and intimidation.
His last serious challenger, Maurice Kamto, was barred from this year’s race after a court ruled that his party was already backing another candidate, a move Human Rights Watch said raised “serious concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.”
Biya’s health remains one of the biggest question marks of the campaign. Speculation about his condition intensified last year after he vanished from public view for 42 days, though officials dismissed the reports as “pure fantasy” and later banned discussion of the topic.
Meanwhile, many Cameroonians continue to endure poor access to roads, electricity, water, and waste management, issues opposition figures say reflect decades of stagnation under Biya’s rule.
Still, with opposition voices stifled and dissent met with the threat of arrest, few expect major upheaval. “People are afraid to speak,” said Raoul Sumo Tayo, a senior researcher at South Africa’s Institute for Security Studies.
Everybody in Cameroon wants to see their children grow, so many stay quiet, and that empowers the regime.”
Biya’s continued rule, if secured, would extend his presidency beyond 45 years, one of the longest reigns in modern history.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
