Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, who at 92 is the world’s oldest sitting head of state, has secured re-election despite renewed calls for political change from opposition groups.
The election, held on October 12, was widely anticipated to reinforce Biya’s 43-year hold on power in the Central African nation. According to the country’s Constitutional Council, Biya emerged victorious with 53% of the total votes.
This year, Biya faced his most notable challenge from Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson and employment minister in his late 70s. Bakary broke with Biya earlier in the year and ran a campaign that attracted large crowds and received support from a coalition of opposition parties and civic organisations, according to Reuters.
Biya, who eliminated presidential term limits in 2008, has maintained control through a combination of political maneuvering and a centralized system of governance. Cameroon’s single-round voting system allows a candidate to win outright with a simple majority, a factor that has consistently favored the incumbent.
During Biya’s decades in power, Cameroon, a resource-rich nation with a population of nearly 30 million, has faced significant challenges, including an ongoing separatist insurgency in the Anglophone regions and entrenched corruption that has hindered development.
Despite the country’s wealth in oil, minerals, and agricultural resources, around 43% of Cameroonians live in poverty, according to United Nations estimates based on key measures of income, education, and health.
