Cameroon’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, has secured a controversial eighth term in office after winning 53.7 percent of the vote in the country’s October 12 election, according to results announced Monday by the Constitutional Council.
The 92-year-old leader, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, extended his four-decade grip on power despite widespread allegations of vote manipulation and political repression. His closest rival, former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, garnered 35.2 percent of the vote but has rejected the outcome, insisting he won with 54.8 percent.
Tchiroma’s supporters have taken to the streets in protest, leading to violent clashes in Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital. At least four people were reported dead on Sunday after security forces fired live ammunition at demonstrators, following initial attempts to disperse them with tear gas.
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Observers say Biya’s re-election was widely expected in a political system long dominated by his ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). Critics accuse the veteran leader of systematically weakening democratic institutions to maintain power while silencing dissent through arrests and intimidation.
Biya (Africa’s oldest head of state and one of the world’s longest-serving rulers) has presided over decades marked by economic inequality, corruption, and ongoing separatist conflict in the country’s Anglophone regions.
Despite growing calls for change, Biya’s latest victory underscores the enduring strength of his political machinery—and the fading hope for democratic transition in Cameroon.
