92-Year-Old Cameroon President Paul Biya Wins 8th Term Amid Rigging Claims

Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has confirmed President Paul Biya, aged 92, as the winner of the recent election, securing his eighth consecutive term in office. This makes him the oldest serving head of state in the world.

Biya reportedly won 53.7% of the vote, defeating his main challenger, former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who received 35.2%. However, the opposition has rejected the results, claiming massive vote rigging and lack of transparency.

Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, remains one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. His decision to seek another seven-year term sparked debate over his age, health, and leadership style.

He often spends long periods in Geneva, Switzerland, prompting speculation about whether he is still fully in charge of government affairs. Critics say most state decisions are made by senior officials, especially Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, the Secretary General in the Presidency.

Biya rarely appears in public or holds cabinet meetings, leading many to describe his rule as remote and secretive. Despite this, he has maintained political stability by balancing the country’s ethnic, regional, and linguistic divisions between French-speaking and English-speaking areas.

With no clear successor and growing uncertainty within his ruling party, attention has shifted to his son, Franck Biya, though he has shown little interest in politics.

As Biya begins another term, Cameroonians remain divided — some credit him for preventing economic collapse, while others accuse him of clinging to power at the expense of democracy and reform.