Biya Secures โeighthโ Term as Cameroon‘s President
Paul Biyaโ has been re-elected โขas President of Cameroon, extending his โฃdecades-long rule intoโข an eighth consecutive โคterm. The Constitutional Court confirmed the โresults, showing Biya, aged 92, secured โ53.66% of the vote in โขthe October 12th election. this victoryโฃ grants him another seven-year mandate โฃleading the Central African โขnation.
The primary opposition candidate, Issa Tchiroma, received 35.19%โ of the vote, according to the Associated Press. โTchiroma prematurely declared victory two days after the election and โcalled for Biya to concede,a โclaimโ refuted by Biya’s Democratic Movement of โtheโ Cameroonian people (CPDM).
The election period โคwas marked by unrest. Tchiroma alleged vote manipulation,โ leading to the arson of a CPDM officeโข in Dschang,โฃ West Cameroon. He subsequently called for protests, โresulting in demonstrations in Douala where roads were barricaded and tires burned. Clashes between protestersโฃ and police resulted โฃin โขreported fatalities, with Tchiroma claiming at least four people lost their lives.
Biya hasโ been in power since 1982, โฃbecoming the longest-ruling non-royal national leader in the world. He leads a nation of approximately 29โ million people โขthat gained independence from France in January 1960. Concerns regarding Biya’s health are frequent,โค as he spends a meaningful amount of โขtime in Europe,โข delegating daily governance to party officials andโข family members.
Cameroonโค currently faces significant internal challenges, including ongoing conflict โคin the western regionsโ between government forces and English-speaking separatists who feel marginalized by the French-speaking โคmajority. The country โฃalso contends โwith the spreadโข of the โฃBoko Haram โขinsurgency from Nigeria in the north, and widespread corruption that hinders growth.
Biya’s lengthy tenure is consistent with a trend of long-term โleadership seen in several African nations, including Equatorial Guinea โ(Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo since 1982), Uganda (Yoweri Museveni since 1986), and Eritrea (isaias Afwerki since 1993).