Cameroon heads to the polls as world oldest ruler seeks to extend 43-year rule

As Cameroon heads to the polls on Sunday, the country’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, is widely expected to extend his more than four-decade rule.

At 92, Biya is already the world’s oldest head of state. Yet, despite growing questions about his health and leadership, he remains the favourite to win an eighth term in office, a victory that would keep him in power until nearly 100.

Biya faces 11 challengers, including two of his former ministers, Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari. Both have sought to distance themselves from the president’s long and often controversial rule, particularly his handling of the Anglophone crisis that has devastated Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.

Read also:Biya absent as Cameroon’s presidential campaign begins

Bakary, once Biya’s minister of communications, apologised during his campaign stop in Bamenda for previously denying that there was an Anglophone crisis at all.

“I understand that many of you suffered from the statement. You felt injured, but I also suffered because I had no choice,” he told supporters, promising to push for the release of political prisoners if elected.

Maigari, a former tourism minister, struck a similar note of reconciliation, pledging dialogue with separatist leaders to end the years-long conflict that has killed thousands.

The long shadow of Biya’s rule

Biya came to power in 1982 after the resignation of Cameroon’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo. Since then, he has built a political system that has proven remarkably resilient to change.

Read also:Cameroons Biya, 92, reshuffles military top brass ahead of vote – Reuters

Under Biya, Cameroon transitioned to multi-party democracy in the 1990s, but critics say elections have been tightly controlled ever since. His victories — often by huge margins — have been marred by accusations of fraud and intimidation.

“Biya’s rule has been sustained through repression, regional alliances, and strategic co-option of rivals,” said Arrey Ntui, senior analyst for Cameroon at the International Crisis Group.

His electoral record supports that assessment: he won with 93 per cent in 1997, 71 per cent in 2004, 78 per cent in 2011, and 71 per cent in 2018.

Crisis without end

The most enduring challenge to Biya’s authority remains the Anglophone conflict that erupted in 2016. What began as peaceful protests by English-speaking lawyers and teachers against the use of French in courts and schools escalated into an armed struggle for independence.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 6,000 civilians have been killed, while the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants estimates that over 900,000 people have been internally displaced and 60,000 have fled abroad.

The Norwegian Refugee Council has called it “the world’s most neglected displacement crisis.”

Despite these grim realities, Biya rarely addresses the conflict directly and has not visited the affected regions in years.

Read also: Group says Akwa Ibom loses 2,560 oil wells to Cameroon

Election under tension

This year’s vote takes place under a heavy cloud. The opposition is fragmented, and its most credible figure, Maurice Kamto, who finished second in 2018, was barred from running after a court disqualified his candidacy.

Many young Cameroonians, especially those who hoped for political renewal, now see the election as a formality.

“The vote is a scam,” said Theophile, a 24-year-old artist in Douala to AFP. “As long as the system remains in place, there is nothing that can be done. There has to be change.”

Yet some still believe Biya deserves another chance. “I say Paul Biya still has something to offer,” said Giovanni, a 20-year-old student in Douala. “He’s a wise man with a wealth of experience and a long track record.”

Absent but unyielding

Biya’s health has been the subject of intense speculation. His frequent trips to Switzerland, his preferred destination for medical care, have done little to silence critics who say he is too frail to lead.

His rare appearance this week in Maroua, a key electoral battleground in the Far North, was intended to project vitality. “My determination to serve you remains intact,” he declared to supporters during a 25-minute speech focused on youth, women and infrastructure.

Read also: Cameroons President Biya returns home

Turnout, however, was thin. While organisers expected around 25,000 people, only a few hundred attended, according to AFP reporters.

Economic frustrations run deep. The World Bank says four in ten Cameroonians live below the poverty line, and prices of basic goods continue to soar. Access to clean water, good roads, and reliable healthcare remains a daily struggle.

“I keep hoping for a better Cameroon where young people can find work,” said Boris, a computer engineer in Buea, told AFP.. “I imagine a day when Cameroon looks like Paris, with affordable education and safe roads.”

To many, however, such hopes seem far off. Civil groups have launched independent initiatives to monitor Sunday’s vote, but authorities have dismissed them as attempts to “manipulate public opinion.”

In the restive Anglophone regions, the atmosphere remains tense. During the last election in 2018, voter turnout was extremely low as residents stayed home, fearing violence.
As Cameroonians prepare once again to cast their ballots, the question is not whether Biya will win, but whether a new generation can still believe in the possibility of change.