• Source:JND
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At 92, Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving president, is again seeking the presidency of Cameroon. If he emerges victorious in the presidential election, he may govern the Central African nation until he is 99, extending an incredible 43-year record that started in 1982.

Who Is Paul Biya?

Biya's political journey began years ago. He was born on February 13, 1933, in Mvomeka'a, French Cameroon, and studied law and political science in France before returning to independent Cameroon in 1960. Biya held several government positions throughout the 1960s and 1970s and became prime minister in 1975. On Ahmadou Ahidjo's surprise resignation as president in 1982, Biya, as the constitutional successor, took over the presidency.
 
Throughout the decades, Biya has had a firm hold on Cameroon's politics. In 2008, he abolished term limits for the presidency, paving the way for him to continue running for election. Though elections are held on a regular basis, critics have often accused them of being irregular, subject to manipulation, and suppressing dissent, which has been denied by the government. In spite of these scandals, Biya's position remains predominantly unopposed, courtesy of his hold on state institutions as well as a disunited opposition.

Election Terrain: Fragmented Opposition

This year, Biya faces 11 candidates, with former government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, emerging as his strongest rival. Biya’s re-election is all but certain due to his entrenched support base and the inability of opposition parties to unite. Cameroon’s election system, which does not allow run-offs, ensures that the candidate with the most votes wins outright, further strengthening the incumbent’s advantage.
 
 
But on the other hand, pressure on Biya to resign has been gradually growing. Catholic Archbishop Samuel Kleda even openly questioned whether a 92-year-old could run the country or not. Longstanding supporters crossed to the opposition, also openly questioned Biya's capacity to rule. Even his daughter, Brenda Biya, transiently called on citizens not to vote for her father in a popular TikTok video, though she later retracted.
 

Biya, who is low-key, appeared for the first and only time this year on the campaign trail in Maroua. Addressing supporters, he recognised the nation's problems of inadequate infrastructure, electricity shortages, and poor public services, but promised citizens that those challenges "are not insurmountable." His strategy depends greatly on networks of loyalists, scant public visibility, and dominance of state machinery in order to retain his grip on power.
 
With inputs from agency.