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 ends in Yaounde on October 27, 2025.
AFP through Getty Pictures/AFP
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AFP through Getty Pictures/AFP
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — In a extensively 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 recognized 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. Throughout the marketing campaign he made just one public look, and by Monday night time he had but to handle 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 business capital Douala and Garoua, Tchiroma’s hometown. Safety forces used power to disperse crowds, leaving at the very least 4 individuals useless in latest days. Dozens of opposition figures and activists have been arrested.
In Yaoundé, streets had been quiet, outlets shuttered, and armored autos patrolled main intersections. When approached, residents had been too afraid to speak. In a rustic tightly managed by the federal government, belief is scarce and concern is frequent.
Opposition disputes outcomes
Impartial 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 12 months 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 help 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 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 social gathering 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 pictures on social media of snipers close to his residence — claims that might not be independently verified. He referred to as on supporters, together with throughout the army, to “defend the true end result.” With latest coups throughout West and Central Africa, the chance of instability right here looms massive.
Opposition chief Njang Dennis Tabeh mentioned his social gathering’s figures point out Biya was defeated.
“The regime, as traditional, even when they’re defeated on the poll field, controls all of the establishments — from the electoral physique to the constitutional council. The need of Cameroonians must be imposed,” he mentioned.
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 growing old leaders clinging to energy by way of managed elections and weakened establishments.
