92-Year-Old Cameroonian President Paul Biya Declares Candidacy for 8th Term
Despite defections and growing dissent, Biya banks on divided opposition to secure another term after four decades in power.
- Paul Biya, 92, declares bid for an eighth presidential term in October 2025
- Faces internal defections but remains leader of ruling CPDM party
- Divided opposition struggles to unite against Biya’s decades-long rule
Cameroon’s 92-year-old President, Paul Biya, has officially announced his bid for an unprecedented eighth term in the upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 12, 2025.
Biya, who has ruled the Central African nation for nearly 43 years, made the declaration on Sunday via a post on X (formerly Twitter), in both 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,” Biya stated. “Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet. The best is still to come.”
As the leader of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), Biya was widely expected to run again despite growing political tension and calls for change.
In recent months, some of his long-time allies have begun to distance themselves from his administration, and two prominent figures have defected from his camp.
Nevertheless, Cameroon’s fractured opposition remains unable to rally behind a unified candidate, a factor that may once again play to Biya’s advantage as he seeks to extend his reign as one of the world’s longest-serving presidents.
