
Cameroon's Biya, 92, brushes off health fears in bid for new term
"People are interested in my funeral," he told reporters. "I'll see them in 20 years."
That was 21 years ago, and the world's oldest serving head of state still has no plans to go anywhere.
On Sunday he announced on X he would run in Cameroon's presidential election scheduled for October 12, seeking an eighth term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100.
Biya has held a tight grip on power since taking over as president in 1982 from his one-time mentor Ahmadou Ahidjo, whom he later sidelined and forced into exile.
Now, an unprecedented public outcry in the press and on social media since his announcement suggests cracks in that power base, and doubts in his ability to keep going, may be growing.
"Nous sommes foutus" ("We are screwed!") was the front-page headline in Monday's edition of Le Messager newspaper next to a picture of Biya.
The cocoa- and oil-producing Central African nation faces a host of economic and security challenges, notably a conflict with Anglophone separatists and threats from Nigeria-based Islamist fighters in the north.
Meanwhile Biya, 92, remains largely out of public view, spurring widespread speculation over who is really in charge.
"Most of us don't believe Biya is actually running the country anymore. His decision to run again, if it's really his, shows just how out of touch the system is," tech entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong told Reuters.
Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. He has previously said Biya is in good health and that speculation to the contrary was "pure fantasy and imagination" by critics aiming to destabilise the country.
Last year, the government banned public discussion of Biya's health - though that order has been largely ignored by Cameroon's vociferous press.
Cameroon has had just two presidents since independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s and is likely to face a messy succession crisis if Biya becomes too ill to remain in office or dies.
In 2008, Biya signed a constitutional amendment removing a two-term limit for the presidency.
That paved the way for landslide wins in 2011 and 2018, according to official figures, though his opponents complained of irregularities including ballot stuffing and intimidation, which the government denied.
Not much has changed since the last vote, both on the security front and for Cameroonians grappling daily with poor access to basic amenities from roads and water to electricity and waste management.
"These issues are not new. They have simply intensified because the situation keeps worsening," said Pippie Hugues Marcelline, research policy analyst at the Yaounde-based Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank.
What is different this year, Marcelline said, is "the level of engagement and awareness" about Biya's performance.
"A president needs to be seen in charge and in control. The absence of the president from the public is enough evidence that age is not on his side."
Prominent human rights lawyer Alice Nkom published a video last week on YouTube appealing to Biya to step aside.
"The legs are no longer holding up, the brain is no longer working. I'm telling you this because I'm in this situation, because I'm in my 80s," she said.
"I know what has changed in me and what I can no longer give to Cameroonians."
Perhaps more worrying for Biya, two former allies have recently quit the ruling coalition and announced plans to run in the election separately.
Enonchong, the tech entrepreneur, told Reuters she did not think Cameroonians would accept another Biya term.
But analyst Raoul Sumo Tayo said that, despite the many obstacles, Biya should not be counted out.
"The ruling party can successfully rally the administrative elite and utilise outdated electoral practices," he said, referring to what he described as fraudulent tactics.
"It might just secure an eighth term for Paul Biya."
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BBC News
5 hours ago
- BBC News
Who be di candidates wey dey run for Cameroon election as Elecam disqualify Maurice Kamto
Cameroon Electoral Commission (ELECAM) don exclude Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto from di list of candidates wey go contest for di October 12 presidential election. According to di list wey di kontri electoral body release on Saturday, 26 July, dem only approve 13 out of di 83 candidates wey declare dia intention to run. E neva dey clear why dem remove Kamto from di list, but di decision bin come afta e announce say im dey comot di Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM) party to join anoda party wey endorse am as candidate. Bicos di CRM party no fit endorse candidate sake of say dem no get any elected representatives for parliament or local councils, e decide to join MANIDEM party, wey get local representation. Who dey di list? 92-year-old Cameroon President Paul Biya dey part of di candidates wey make di list. Im former allies, Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari wey come from di vote-rich northern parts of di kontri also make di list. Popular anti-corruption lawyer Akere Muna, Social Democratic Front (SDF) party leader Joshua Osih, lawmaker Cabral Libii also dey among di candidates wey go contest for di kontri top job. Meanwhile, di firebrand mayor Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya na di only female candidate on di list. Ahead of di polls, critics don argue say plan bin dey to exclude Maurice Kamto wey come second for di 2018 presidential polls make e no challenge Oga Biya for dis year election. Oga Biya wey pipo reason say na di favourite to win for di October election bin reject calls to step down, as e say im still get a lot to offer Cameroonians, even though e don dey for power for nearly 43 years. Aspirants wey dey para sake of say dem dey disqualified from di presidential race get two days to file petition for di constitutional council within two days.


Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Cameroon elections body rejects candidacy of president's main rival
YAOUNDE, July 26 (Reuters) - Cameroon's electoral commission has rejected the candidacy of Maurice Kamto, the main rival to President Paul Biya, in an upcoming presidential election, raising the risks of protests and the likelihood of another win for the incumbent. The chief of the electoral commission, ELECAM, announced the decision in a press conference on Saturday when he read out a list of 13 approved candidates which did not include Kamto. No reasons were given. Those not listed have two days to appeal. Biya, 92, has been in power for 43 years and is the world's oldest-serving head of state. He announced his intention earlier this month to seek re-election in the October 12 vote. Kamto had come in second place with 14% of the vote in the last election in 2018, which Biya won by a landslide amid allegations of fraud. "In case of the rejection of certain candidates in this election, it is possible there will be protests in the centre of Yaounde and near the seat of ELECAM," the United Nations Department of Safety and Security said in a statement on Friday.


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