Latest news with #CameroonPeople'sDemocraticMovement
Eyewitness News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Cameroon President Biya says will seek eighth term
YAOUNDÉ - Cameroon's President Paul Biya said Sunday that he would be seeking an eighth term in office in October's elections in a bid to extend his nearly 43 years in power. Biya, 92, posted the announcement on X in French and English. "I am a candidate for the 12 October 2025 presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us," he wrote. "Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet. The best is still to come." Biya was already the de facto candidate of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), of which he is party leader. But given his age, the president's health and his capacity to govern have become the subject of debate. Several longstanding supporters have appeared to distance themselves from him in recent months, and there have been two high-profile defections from Biya's camp in recent weeks. Employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned from government in June to stand in the election for his Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC). And former prime minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya's for nearly 30 years, said he was standing for National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP). Both Tchiroma's and Maigari's parties were longstanding allies of Biya's CPDM, which has held power since independence in 1960. Also in the running are Maurice Kamto, who came second in the 2018 presidential election and is Biya's fiercest critic, and prominent opposition figure Cabral Libii from the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation (CPNR). Candidates have until 21 July to declare that they intend to run for office. But the opposition is deeply divided and is struggling to unite behind a single candidate, even though public opinion is critical of the government. Cameroonians frequently complain about rampant youth unemployment, rising prices and poor public services. In addition, violence occasionally erupts from separatists, especially in English-speaking regions of the mostly francophone country.
Morocco World
6 days ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
Africa's Longest-Serving President Paul Biya to Stand in Cameroonian Election
Rabat – The President of Cameroon Paul Biya has confirmed on social media that he will stand as a candidate in the 2025 election. At 92, Paul Biya is the oldest world leader and longest-serving head of state. On Sunday evening, Paul Biya made the announcement on social media 'I am a candidate for the 12 October 2025 Presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us.' He is the de facto candidate for the country's dominant political party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement. Paul Biya will then be able to run for his eighth term in office. If he wins the presidency, he will remain in office until he is 100 years old, as the presidential term is seven years. He assumed power after his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo, the country's independence leader, resigned in 1982. There have been consistent calls from members of the CPDM Party for Paul Biya to seek another term, particularly from government ministers. However, there has also been growing opposition and revolt against the president. Two of his key allies — Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari — defected in recent months. Health concerns have also plagued the president with many criticizing his age and fitness for office. Biya was not seen for 42 days last year and avoided public engagement, leading to rumors about his death. Opposition leaders have also criticized Biya for stifling economic and social development, with the country currently facing a cost-of-living crisis. He was also accused of electoral fraud in 2018. Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights lawyer and activist, told the Associated Press that 'President Biya's announcement to run again is a clear sign of Cameroon's stalled political transition. After over 40 years in power, what the country needs now is renewal not repetition.' Chances are high that Paul Biya will win the election against a divided and chaotic opposition. Political experts have raised fears that when Biya eventually loses office it will create a violent power vacuum and military conflict. Although news is developing, one thing is clear, 2025 election is set to change little and continue Cameroon's stalled political situation. Tags: AfricaAfrica politicsCameroonelectionsPaul Biya
TimesLIVE
6 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Cameroon's Paul Biya, 92, announces bid for eighth presidential term
Cameroon's President Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state at 92, will run for re-election in this year's presidential vote on October 12, a post on his X account said on Sunday. "I am a candidate in the presidential election. Rest assured my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face," the post on the official account said. Biya, who is seeking a new term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, came to power in 1982 when his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned. His health is the subject of frequent speculation, most recently last year when he disappeared from public view for 42 days. His re-election bid had been widely anticipated but not formally confirmed until Sunday's social media post. Biya had been posting regularly on his verified X handle in the buildup to the announcement. In 2018, in a first, he also used social media to announce his candidacy for that year's presidential contest, marking a rare direct engagement with the public on digital platforms. Members of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement and other supporters have since last year publicly called for Biya to seek another term. However, opposition parties and some civil society groups argue his long rule has stifled economic and democratic development. Two former allies have quit the ruling coalition and announced plans to separately run in the election. Sunday's announcement is sure to revive debate over Biya's fitness for office. He seldom makes public appearances, often delegating responsibilities to the powerful chief of staff of the president's office. In October, he returned to Cameroon after a 42-day absence that sparked speculation he was unwell. The government claimed he was fine but banned discussion of his health, saying it was a matter of national security. Biya scrapped term limits in 2008, clearing the way for him to run indefinitely. He won the 2018 election with 71.28% of the vote, though opposition parties alleged widespread irregularities. The cocoa- and oil-producing Central African nation, which has had only two presidents since independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s, is likely to face a messy succession crisis if Biya were to become too ill to remain in office or dies. Besides Biya, several opposition figures have also declared their intention to run, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front, lawyer Akere Muna and Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation. All have criticised Biya's long rule and called for reforms to ensure a fair vote this year. Under Biya, Cameroon has faced economic challenges and insecurity on several fronts, including a drawn-out separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and ongoing incursions from Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram in the north.
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- Health
- AsiaOne
Cameroon's Biya, 92, announces bid for 8th presidential term, World News
YAOUNDE — Cameroon's President Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state at 92, will run for re-election in this year's presidential vote on Oct 12, a post on the president's X account said on Sunday (July 13). "I am a candidate in the presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face," the post on the official account said. Biya, who is seeking a new term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, came to power more than four decades ago in 1982, when his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned. His health is the subject of frequent speculation, most recently last year when he disappeared from public view for 42 days. His re-election bid had been widely anticipated but not formally confirmed until Sunday's social media post. Biya had been posting regularly on his verified X handle in the buildup to the announcement. In 2018, in a first, he also used social media to announce his candidacy for that year's presidential contest, marking a rare direct engagement with the public on digital platforms. Members of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) and other supporters have since last year publicly called for Biya to seek another term. But opposition parties and some civil society groups argue his long rule has stifled economic and democratic development. Two former allies have quit the ruling coalition and announced plans to separately run in the election. Health worries Sunday's announcement is sure to revive debate over Biya's fitness for office. He seldom makes public appearances, often delegating responsibilities to the powerful chief of staff of the president's office. Last October, he returned to Cameroon after a 42-day absence that sparked speculation he was unwell. The government claimed he was fine but banned any discussion of his health, saying it was a matter of national security. Biya scrapped term limits in 2008, clearing the way for him to run indefinitely. He won the 2018 election with 71.28 per cent of the vote, though opposition parties alleged widespread irregularities. The cocoa- and oil-producing Central African nation, which has had just two presidents since independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s, is likely to face a messy succession crisis if Biya were to become too ill to remain in office or dies. Besides Biya, several opposition figures have also declared their intention to run, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front, lawyer Akere Muna and Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation. All have criticised Biya's long rule and called for reforms to ensure a fair vote in 2025. Under Biya, Cameroon has faced economic challenges and insecurity on several fronts, including a drawn-out separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and ongoing incursions from Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram in the north. [[nid:617261]]
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Young Cameroonians face prospect of new bid by 92-year-old leader
Young Cameroonian voters hoping for change in this year's elections still face the possibility that 92-year-old President Paul Biya could announce a bid to extend his more than four decades in power. Biya, who took the reins in 1982, has remained tight-lipped on whether he plans to stand again in October. But with just a month to go before candidates have to officially register, some of the party faithful have been calling for him to do so. Younger voters who have never known another leader in their lifetimes are sceptical about another mandate for the man who is already the world's oldest head of state. "It would be one candidacy too many," said Ange Ngandjo, 35, a banking consultant. "He's given what he could. Our generation, trained and competent, also wants to build this country." Tweaking a motorbike engine at his workshop in Mokolo, a district of the capital Yaounde, 29-year-old Ibrahim Baba echoed the sentiment. "A new term for Paul Biya? I don't think so," he said. Law student Celestine Mbida, 24, who attends the University of Yaounde II, will be voting for the first time. She stopped short of openly criticising the outgoing president but said: "This election represents a lot... It's the future of the country that is at stake. I want to participate by giving my vote." - Ruling party divided - After highly contested elections in 2018, Biya tightened his grip on power, cracking down on dissenting opinions with arrests and prison terms, rights activists say. But even within his Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC), of which he is national party president, support is no longer unanimous. While some members have called for continuity, others complain that the party has not held a congress to choose its candidate since 2011. Among them is Leon Theiller Onana, a municipal RDPC councillor for Monatele, a town north of Yaounde. He has lodged a legal complaint to contest the "legality and legitimacy" of his party's ruling bodies. Supporters of the president have sought to win over the younger generation. A gathering under the banner "100,000 youth united behind Paul Biya in 2025" recently took place in the town of Maroua, a presidential stronghold in the poverty-hit Far North. Organisers said the aim was to unite around Biya for "a resounding victory" in the forthcoming vote. "He deserves our support," said Mohamadou Atikou Kalda, coordinator of a regional youth platform. Biya was behind several projects that supported development in the north, he added. "To continue on this path is essential." - A 'charade' - But not everyone is happy; some critics even accuse the organisers of stage-managing the event. "They rounded up children to make people believe he still has support in the Far North," one young man said in a video widely shared on social media. "It's false, it's a charade," he added. Political analyst Aristide Mono of Yaounde II University said whoever wins the presidency faced high expectations from voters. "Whether you're young, old, a woman or a man, the concerns are the same," he told AFP. "Persistent insecurity in the Far North, anglophone (separatist) crisis, high unemployment, cost of living, tribalism." "Young people, like other social groups, are asking themselves about the post-Biya era -- because one day or another, in one way or another, Paul Biya will no longer be in power," he added. "So we have to anticipate and organise the succession to avoid succession crises that have often led to civil wars." - 'Lack of succession plan' - The uncertainty weighs on Cameroon's international standing. In a November report, Fitch Ratings confirmed the country's "B negative" rating, putting the chance Biya might run for another term in its "Political Risks" list. "The lack of a succession plan and political divisions exacerbate the risk of a disorderly transition of power," it noted. At 71, Maurice Kamto, leader of the main opposition Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), is hardly the youth candidate, even if he has tried to appeal to them. "If our country is to survive and achieve a certain rank tomorrow, the youth must be prepared," he said. In a country where 60 percent of the population is aged under 25 and youth unemployment is close to 74 percent, the vote will likely be decisive for a generation looking for opportunities and change. str-emp/kjm-jj/phz
