KAKISTOCRACY: Cameroon’s 92-Year-Old President Paul Biya Declares Presidential Ambition Again, Eyes 8th Term in Office

In a development that underscores the enduring paradoxes of post-colonial African governance, President Paul Biya of Cameroon—Africa’s oldest serving leader and one of the longest-ruling heads of state in the world—has formally declared his intention to contest the country’s 2025 presidential election, setting his sights on an eighth consecutive term in office.

The announcement came through a brief but emphatic statement on Biya’s verified X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, July 13, ending months of tightly guarded silence over his future political intentions.

“I am a candidate in the presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face,” Biya posted.

While the wording was characteristically terse, its implications are profound. If successful, Biya—who turned 92 in February 2025—would remain in power until at least 2032, when he will be approaching 100. His re-election bid has reignited fierce domestic and international debate over the legitimacy, morality, and implications of lifetime leadership in fragile democracies.

Paul Biya assumed the Cameroonian presidency on November 6, 1982, following the surprise resignation of founding President Ahmadou Ahidjo. At the time, he was heralded as a symbol of generational transition and political stability.

However, four decades later, what began as a peaceful succession has evolved into a dynastic-style presidency that critics say has suffocated civic space, stalled democratic progress, and concentrated power in a tight inner circle of loyalists.

Over the years, Biya has wielded near-total control over the military, judiciary, and legislature, aided by constitutional changes—including the 2008 repeal of term limits—and a highly centralized governance structure that renders checks and balances effectively nonexistent.

By 2025, Biya has ruled Cameroon for 43 years, making his administration the second-longest non-royal reign in the world, surpassed only by Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.

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Cameroon’s political system remains nominally democratic, but opposition parties and civil society organizations frequently describe the electoral process as a ritualized charade designed to legitimize continued autocracy.

In the 2018 presidential election, Biya officially garnered 71.3% of the vote, defeating his closest challenger, Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC). The poll was marred by allegations of fraud, voter suppression, and especially low turnout in Anglophone regions, where separatist violence was raging.

Kamto rejected the results, declaring himself the rightful winner. He was arrested shortly afterward and detained for nine months without trial. His detention sparked international condemnation but little tangible pressure on the Biya regime.

Since then, public confidence in Cameroon’s Electoral Commission (ELECAM) has steadily eroded. Reports by Transparency International, the Commonwealth Observer Group, and Human Rights Watch have pointed to systemic manipulation, ghost polling stations, intimidation of observers, and a lack of transparency in vote tallying.

At the heart of mounting anxiety over Biya’s new candidacy is a persistent and tightly concealed concern: his health.

In October 2024, the president disappeared from public view for over 40 days, triggering widespread rumors of severe illness or even death. Upon his reappearance, the government provided no explanation, and media outlets were forbidden from speculating about his health condition—a taboo that has hardened over the years.

Biya, known for his long absences from Yaoundé, has spent extensive time at the Intercontinental Hotel in Geneva, Switzerland, over the past two decades—an arrangement that has drawn the ire of Cameroonian taxpayers and opposition figures alike.

In 2019, a group of Cameroonian expatriates protesting outside the hotel were dispersed by Swiss police at the request of Biya’s entourage, leading to international embarrassment. That incident epitomized the disconnect between the presidency and the public, as well as the outsized influence of Biya’s foreign-based medical care.

Yet, discussions around succession remain firmly suppressed. No formal transition framework exists, and Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Biya’s Chief of Staff, is widely believed to be one of the few individuals with meaningful access to and influence over the president.

While Biya’s longevity is historic, it has coincided with escalating crises that critics argue he has mismanaged or ignored—chief among them, the ongoing Anglophone conflict.

The crisis began in 2016 when English-speaking lawyers and teachers in the North-West and South-West regions launched protests over perceived marginalization by the Francophone-dominated central government. Instead of dialogue, the state responded with tear gas, detentions, and internet blackouts, sparking a full-fledged separatist insurgency.

Over the past eight years, the conflict has displaced more than 800,000 people, destroyed hundreds of villages, and claimed thousands of lives. Armed separatist groups now control portions of territory, enforcing their own schools, currencies, and militias.

Despite multiple attempts at peace talks, no meaningful resolution has emerged. Government crackdowns have only hardened local resistance, while international mediators—including Switzerland and the Catholic Church—have found the Biya regime non-committal or obstructive.

In parallel, Cameroon’s Far North region remains plagued by Boko Haram attacks, underscoring Biya’s growing challenge in maintaining national security across increasingly unstable regions.

Cameroon, once considered one of Central Africa’s most promising economies, has experienced decades of stunted growth, corruption, and youth unemployment under Biya’s leadership.

Despite abundant natural resources—ranging from oil and timber to cocoa and aluminum—the economy is over-reliant on exports, vulnerable to commodity shocks, and deeply indebted, especially to China.

According to the World Bank, over 37% of Cameroonians live in poverty, and youth unemployment remains above 25%. Infrastructure remains underdeveloped, healthcare is patchy outside urban centers, and public education funding has declined steadily over the past 15 years.

A large segment of the population—particularly those under the age of 30—has never known another leader besides Paul Biya. Their frustrations have manifested in sporadic protests, online activism, and a mass exodus of professionals seeking opportunities abroad.

The youth-led #BiyaMustGo movement, initially crushed in 2021, has seen renewed interest following the president’s announcement. Analysts say Biya’s decision may become the catalyst for a generational political confrontation.

Despite decades of authoritarian governance, the international community has largely refrained from imposing serious consequences on Biya’s regime. Key strategic interests—particularly France’s economic and military ties, as well as the United States’ counterterrorism cooperation in the Sahel—have discouraged direct pressure.

While both the European Union and the African Union have raised alarms about Cameroon’s human rights record and democratic stagnation, their interventions have remained symbolic.

Western financial institutions, including the IMF and World Bank, continue to lend to the country, citing macroeconomic reform commitments and fiscal stabilization needs.

Diplomatic experts say this tacit endorsement has emboldened Biya, allowing him to position his leadership as a guarantor of order, even as social cohesion and public trust deteriorate.

Inside Cameroon, Biya’s announcement has elicited mixed reactions.

• The Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) quickly rallied behind the decision, with party spokespersons praising Biya’s “visionary leadership” and “unwavering patriotism.”
• Conversely, the fragmented opposition has issued a joint communiqué condemning the decision as “a provocation against the people and an affront to democratic ideals.”

However, structural barriers—such as restrictions on opposition assembly, lack of press freedom, and constant surveillance of civil society actors—limit their ability to organize meaningfully.

In recent weeks, multiple opposition leaders have reported that their phones were tapped and bank accounts frozen. Several were denied permits for planned rallies, prompting fears of a pre-election crackdown reminiscent of 2018.

Cameroon’s presidential election is slated for October 2025, but analysts warn that the contest could become a flashpoint for deeper national instability.

Critical questions remain unresolved:

• Will Maurice Kamto or other credible opposition figures be allowed to campaign freely?
• Will international observers be granted unfettered access to monitor the vote?
• Will social media platforms, often restricted during elections, remain open?
• Most critically, what contingency exists if Biya becomes incapacitated or dies in office?

Cameroon’s 2025 election is shaping up not just as a vote for a president, but as a referendum on the country’s institutional resilience, youth aspirations, and path toward democracy or dynastic stagnation.

Sidebar: Paul Biya — Profile of Africa’s Political Enigma

Attribute	Details
Full Name	Paul Barthélemy Biya’a bi Mvondo
Date of Birth	February 13, 1933
Age	92 (as of 2025)
Time in Office	43 years (since 1982)
Political Party	Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM)
Major Milestones	Removal of term limits, Anglophone crisis, centralized rule
Criticisms	Authoritarianism, electoral fraud, corruption, repression
Health	Officially undisclosed; frequent overseas medical visits
Legacy	Polarizing symbol of continuity and autocracy

 

Paul Biya’s re-election bid may be unsurprising to seasoned Cameroonian observers, but the moment remains historic—and potentially volatile. In a country marked by disrupted federalism, youth alienation, and geopolitical ambivalence, Biya’s eighth-term ambition represents more than personal longevity; it symbolizes the challenges of transition in entrenched post-colonial states.

Whether Cameroon emerges from this moment stronger—or sinks deeper into authoritarian entrenchment—may well depend on how the people, institutions, and the world respond in the coming months.

Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, BBC Africa, Cameroon Tribune, Human Rights Watch, UNHCR, World Bank, Transparency International, IMF, Commonwealth Observer Group.