A supporter of Cameroonian opposition chief and presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary reacts as others collect supplies from the streets to construct barricades following the announcement of presidential election leads to Yaounde on October 27, 2025.
AFP by way of Getty Photos/AFP
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AFP by way of Getty Photos/AFP
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — In a broadly disputed election that has sparked protests throughout the nation, Cameroon’s president — the world’s oldest head of state — has claimed an unprecedented eighth time period in workplace.
Paul Biya, 92, has dominated the Central African nation since 1982. On Monday, the Constitutional Council declared him the winner with 53.7% of the vote, in comparison with 35.2% for opposition chief Issa Tchiroma Bakary.
If he serves out his new seven-year time period, Biya would stay in energy till practically he was practically 100-years-old.
The nation of 30 million — on the world’s youngest continent — has a median age of simply 19. Most Cameroonians have identified just one president, who not often seems in public and spends lengthy stretches overseas, significantly in Switzerland.
Cameroon faces a number of crises: jihadist violence within the north, a separatist insurgency within the west, and entrenched corruption.
Whereas supporters gathered to have a good time on the Constitutional Council within the capital, Yaoundé, Biya remained as elusive as ever. Through the marketing campaign he made just one public look, and by Monday evening he had but to deal with the nation, as an alternative releasing a short written assertion.
In the meantime, a lot of the nation remained tense. Protests erupted in a number of cities, together with the industrial capital Douala and Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown. Safety forces used pressure to disperse crowds, leaving no less than 4 individuals useless in current days. Dozens of opposition figures and activists have been arrested.
In Yaoundé, streets have been quiet, outlets shuttered, and armored automobiles patrolled main intersections. When approached, residents have been too afraid to speak. In a rustic tightly managed by the federal government, belief is scarce and concern is widespread.
Opposition disputes outcomes
Unbiased counts from a number of main polling stations had recommended Biya’s challenger, 79-year-old Issa Tchiroma Bakary, was main the rely. A longtime authorities minister and Biya spokesperson, Tchiroma left the administration earlier this yr and shortly gained traction amongst youthful voters hungry for change — even from a determine lengthy related to the ruling elite.
He declared himself the winner two weeks in the past, however the official outcomes confirmed Biya prevailing even in areas the place his assist was thought weakest.
A Catholic bishop who endorsed Tchiroma in the course of the marketing campaign described him as “a greater satan,” capturing the frustration of voters who see few real alternate options. One other distinguished opposition determine, Maurice Kamto, was disqualified from the election in a choice he denounced as political interference, after a rival faction of his occasion offered a competing candidate.
Cameroon incumbent President Paul Biya addresses a marketing campaign rally in Maroua on October 7, 2025.
ROBERT FIMBAYE/AFP
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ROBERT FIMBAYE/AFP
What comes subsequent?
On Monday, Tchiroma accused the federal government of plotting to arrest him and posted photographs on social media of snipers close to his residence — claims that would not be independently verified. He referred to as on supporters, together with inside the army, to “defend the true outcome.” With current coups throughout West and Central Africa, the danger of instability right here looms massive.
Opposition chief Njang Dennis Tabeh stated his occasion’s figures point out Biya was defeated.
“The regime, as normal, even when they’re defeated on the poll field, controls all of the establishments — from the electoral physique to the constitutional council. The desire of Cameroonians must be imposed,” he stated.
Biya’s lengthy absences and his authorities’s tightening grip have fueled anger and uncertainty. Cameroon’s disaster displays a broader sample throughout Africa: youthful populations dominated by getting older leaders clinging to energy by way of managed elections and weakened establishments.
