The world’s longest-serving president, Paul Biya, was officially announced as the winner of Cameroon’s presidential election on Monday. Securing nearly 54 percent of the vote, this marks his eighth term in office. If he completes it, he will continue to lead the nation until he is almost 100 years old.
Cameroon’s electoral commission confirmed the results for Mr. Biya, who is 92, amidst strong challenges from an opposition candidate. This challenger had claimed victory just two days after the October 12 election, alleging widespread fraud and criticizing what he termed a “predatory oligarchy.”
Analysts have described this election as the most significant in decades for the Central African nation. Notably, these results represent Mr. Biya’s closest contest since 1992.
Cameroon starkly illustrates a continent-wide trend: a young population governed by leaders from a past era. With a median age of 18.9 in 2024, many Cameroonians were born after Mr. Biya first assumed power in 1982. He has yet to reveal any concrete plans for his succession.
However, a political crisis looms. Many young Cameroonians are refusing to accept the election outcome. The widespread fraud allegations could ignite large-scale protests, similar to those seen across Africa’s youth-dominated nations where dissatisfaction with economic opportunities is boiling over.
Adding to public discontent, Mr. Biya is known for spending significant time abroad, particularly in Switzerland, accompanied by a large retinue. One investigation estimated his hotel expenses alone amounted to approximately $65 million, further fueling resentment among the populace.
Since Election Day, tensions have surged across Cameroon. Security forces remain on high alert following widespread allegations of fraud, which triggered protests in Yaoundé and other major cities. Regional authorities reported that four people died and several security forces members were injured during demonstrations on Sunday in Douala, the nation’s economic hub.
Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla, a prominent Cameroonian human rights lawyer, firmly stated that Mr. Biya’s victory could only have been achieved through “massive fraud.”
“This election is more of a protest vote,” he explained. “People simply desired change, not merely due to Biya’s advanced age, but because the country is failing on multiple fronts.”
The generational gap in leadership has even extended to the first family. Mr. Biya’s own daughter, Brenda Biya, publicly condemned him, urging her TikTok followers not to vote for her father, whom she asserted had caused the nation years of suffering.
Mr. Biya is part of a cohort of African leaders well over 70. Just last Saturday, Ivory Coast held an election where 83-year-old President Alassane Ouattara sought a fourth term, despite constitutional limits of two terms. (He effectively reset his term count due to a constitutional amendment.)
Remarkably, seventeen of Africa’s leaders are over the age of 70, contrasting sharply with the continent’s median age of just 19.
Even Mr. Biya’s primary opponent, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, is 76. Until June, Mr. Tchiroma Bakary was a staunch Biya loyalist, serving as a minister for many years. Official results indicate he garnered 35 percent of the vote. The leading opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, 71, was prevented from running by the electoral commission.
Two days after the election, Mr. Tchiroma Bakary had asserted he won by a landslide and vowed to organize massive street protests against Mr. Biya’s victory.
“We will not stand by and allow our victory to be stolen from us,” he declared last week. “The people will not tolerate it. The people are resolved to oppose a regime that is unresponsive to their hardships and struggles.”
Mr. Biya has faced similar opposition in the past. Following the previous election in 2018, Mr. Kamto also claimed victory. After denouncing the results as fraudulent and leading protests, Mr. Kamto was arrested and incarcerated for nine months.
Over the past four decades, Mr. Biya has navigated numerous challenges, including a presidential guard coup attempt in 1984, a secessionist movement that has destabilized the English-speaking regions since 2016, and internal power struggles within his own party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.
Throughout these trials, he has consistently consolidated his power, stifling opposition, dismantling safeguards against electoral fraud, and, in 2008, removing presidential term limits. Analysts suggest that to maintain his four-decade rule, Mr. Biya has skillfully prevented coup attempts by exercising stringent control over the military.
Even as governments in the neighboring Sahel region have fallen to coups in recent years, Mr. Biya has managed to retain his grip on power.
However, analysts warn that the greatest threat to his authority might not stem from rivals like Mr. Tchiroma Bakary, but from the power vacuum created by his prolonged tenure. With no publicly known succession plan, some observers speculate that Mr. Biya may be discreetly preparing his son, Franck Biya, to take over.
“He is old, and his health is a concern,” noted Hubert Kinkoh, an analyst. “If he were to die in office, there is no clear successor, which poses a significant risk of political instability.”
Chuo Walters, a lawyer and university professor who supports Mr. Biya, drew parallels to Gabon’s former president, Omar Bongo. Bongo passed away from a heart attack at 73, after 41 years in power, and was subsequently succeeded by his son.
Yet, Mr. Walters concluded that no one truly knows Mr. Biya’s intentions. “He’s a very private man and he consistently enjoys surprising people.”