Cameroon ‘s 92 -Year – Old President Paul Biya Declares Candidacy for Eight Term

RYNI Media: By Omotayo Stephen .O
15 July 2025

In a dramatic yet unsurprising move, Cameroon’s long-serving leader, President Paul Biya, has announced on sunday his intention to run for an unprecedented eighth term in office, extending a reign that began over four decades ago.

The nonagenarian leader made the announcement via X (formerly Twitter), posting in both English and French:
“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. Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet.”

In a formal statement titled “Declaration of Candidacy for the 12 October 2025 Presidential Election by His Excellency Paul BIYA,” the president described his decades-long leadership as a “sacred duty,” while acknowledging that “much remains to be done.” He claimed his decision was driven by widespread calls from across the nation and the diaspora urging him to stay the course.

With Biya at the helm since 1982, Cameroon has seen over four decades of uninterrupted rule, making him one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. If re-elected, his next term could take him close to 100 years of age by its end.

Though he remains the figurehead of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM),
Biya’s latest bid comes amid growing unrest within his political circle. Two of his key allies—Employment Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary and former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari—have left his camp to pursue their own presidential ambitions under the FSNC and NUDP, respectively. Both parties had been long-standing supporters of Biya’s CPDM.

The race is also heating up on the opposition front. Maurice Kamto, Biya’s most prominent challenger from the 2018 election, is back in the ring, along with Cabral Libii, a strong voice from the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation (CPNR). However, the opposition remains fractured and unable to rally around a single candidate—an advantage for Biya in a system known for heavily favoring incumbents.

Despite his enduring grip on power, public frustration remains high. Youth unemployment, inflation, inadequate infrastructure, and ongoing separatist violence in the Anglophone regions continue to fuel discontent.

Candidates have until July 21 to declare their intentions, but one thing is certain: Cameroon’s 2025 election promises to be both historic and deeply divisive.

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