Cameroon’s long-time President, Paul Biya has been sworn in for an eighth term following his victory in last month’s presidential election.
The 92-year-old incumbent, who is Africa’s second-longest serving leader, took the oath of office during a session of parliament in what residents describe as the heavily militarized and partially deserted capital, Yaounde.
Speaking to Parliament, the world’s oldest President promised to stay faithful to the confidence of the Cameroonian people and vowed to work for a “united, stable and prosperous” country during his new seven-year term.
“I will spare no effort to continue to be worthy of this trust. I fully understand the gravity of the situation our country is going through. I understand the number and severity of the challenges we face and I understand the depth of frustrations and the scale of expectations.”
Paul Biya
Cameroon’s top court on October 27 declared Biya the winner of the election, with 53.66% of the vote, ahead of his former ally-turned-challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who scored 35.19%.
There were protests in several parts of Cameroon days after the October 12 vote, followed by a three-day lockdown this week after Tchiroma claimed victory and alleged vote tampering.
The government has confirmed that at least five people were killed during the protests, although the opposition and civil society groups claim the figures are far higher.
Tchiroma has since urged supporters to stage “dead city” operations, closing shops and halting other public activities. The response has been mixed, with the call being widely followed in Garoua and Douala but in Yaounde most shops remained open, children were at school and employees went to work.
The government has said that it plans to initiate legal proceedings against the opposition leader, denouncing his “repeated calls for insurrection.”
Both the European Union and the African Union have condemned the authorities’ violent crackdown on protests, while the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an investigation.
Nonetheless, Tchiroma insists that Biya was awarded a “fraudulent” victory in the election. Tchiroma wrote on Wednesday night, “The will of the Cameroonian people was trampled that day, our sovereignty stolen in broad daylight.”
“This is not democracy, it is electoral theft, a constitutional coup as blatant as it is shameful. In Cameroon, the institutions meant to protect citizens’ rights have become tools of oppression, wielded for one end: the perpetuation of a single regime. Forty-three years of misrule have taught our rulers contempt for the people and indifference to justice and human freedom.
“They do not listen; they do not serve. Against this backdrop, the 2025 election marks not just a clash of candidates, including myself, but a confrontation between life and mere survival, between hope and repression.”
Issa Tchiroma Bakary
Paul Biya To Leave Office At 99
If he serves his entire term, Paul Biya will leave office nearly 100-years old.
Biya came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first President and has ruled since following a 2008 constitutional amendment that abolished term limits.
His health has been a topic of speculation as he spends most of his time in Europe, leaving governance to key party officials and family members.
He has led Cameroon longer than most of its citizens have been alive — over 70% of the country’s almost 30 million population is below the age of 35.
The results of his nearly half-century in power have been mixed; armed insurgencies in both the north and west of the country, along with a stagnant economy, have left many young people disillusioned with the leader.
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