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CameroonOnline.ORG | YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Polls closed on Sunday across Cameroon after a day of voting in the presidential election, in which President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting head of state, is seeking an eighth term after more than four decades in power.
“The vote took place in calm and serenity,” said Jean-Alain Andzongo Bikele, a representative of the national electoral commission (ELECAM), at a polling station in Yaoundé as counting began.
The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to announce the final results of the single-round election.
Biya, who is 92 years old and has ruled the country since 1982, is widely viewed as the frontrunner. He faces 11 challengers, including his former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, whose candidacy has attracted unexpected public interest.
Tchiroma, 79, left the government in June after two decades of service under Biya and joined the opposition. Another prominent opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, who finished second in the 2018 presidential election, was barred from running this year after the Constitutional Council rejected his candidacy.
Several human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW), have expressed concerns over the credibility of the electoral process.
Many Cameroonians have expressed disillusionment with what they describe as the persistence of the “Biya system.” Unemployment reportedly stands at around 35 percent in major cities, and citizens frequently cite frustration over the rising cost of living, limited access to clean water, and inadequate healthcare and education services.
However, much of this discontent remains confined to social media, as open political mobilization remains limited.
For most Cameroonians, Biya’s leadership has been a constant presence throughout their lives. Over the past 20 years, he has consistently won re-election with more than 70 percent of the vote.
As ballot counting continues, attention now turns to the Constitutional Council, whose final announcement will determine whether the 92-year-old leader extends his long tenure at the helm of Cameroon.
