Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, announces he will seek eighth presidential term
The 92-year-old president, who has been in power since 1982, announced in a statement on X on Sunday, stating that he was responding to numerous calls to throw his hat in the ring.
Cameroon President Paul Biya has announced that he will seek re-election during the country's upcoming presidential polls in October, extending his four-decade rule amid domestic and international challenges.
The 92-year-old president, who has been in power since 1982, announced in a statement on X on Sunday, stating that he was responding to numerous calls to throw his hat in the ring.
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He added that he could not abandon his mission to serve Cameroon at a time of mounting economic pressure, further reiterating his determination to rule.
"In the face of an increasingly difficult international environment, the challenges facing us are more and more pressing. In such a situation, I cannot shirk my mission. I have therefore decided to heed the numerous and insistent calls from the ten regions of our country and the diaspora," he said.
"I am a candidate for the October 12, 2025, presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us. Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet. The best is still to come."
Biya is Cameroon's second president since independence from France in 1960, coming to power after serving as prime minister under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, who unexpectedly resigned.
He is now Africa's second-longest-serving leader after Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang. If successful during the October polls, Biya will occupy the office for the eighth term.
Over the years, Biya's administration has faced repeated allegations of corruption. He also had to contend with cross-border threats, notably from Boko Haram militants based in neighbouring Nigeria.
Despite these challenges, he has remained largely absent from public life, frequently spending extended periods abroad for undisclosed reasons.
In 2023, rumours of his death went viral, prompting a rare official denial from the government.
Ahead of the vote, the political landscape in Cameroon appears increasingly fractured, with several of Biya's long-time allies declaring their presidential bids.
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