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Cameroon’s incumbent leader extends his term for seventh time
(MENAFN) Cameroon’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, has officially been declared the winner of the country’s recent election, earning a new seven-year term that will keep him in office into his late 90s, according to reports.
The Constitutional Council announced Monday that Biya secured 53.66% of the vote in the October 12 election, while his main rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, received 35.19%. Tchiroma, who resigned from his post as transport and communication minister in June to challenge the veteran leader, had declared himself the winner two days after the polls closed, citing internal tallies.
Violence erupted in the aftermath of the election. At least four people were killed in the coastal city of Douala on Sunday when opposition supporters defied protest bans and clashed with security forces, alleging electoral fraud. The unrest continued on Monday, with Tchiroma reporting that two people were killed by snipers outside his residence in Garoua. A local journalist also stated that “a number of people” were shot dead near the opposition leader’s home.
Biya, 92, has held power since 1982, making him the world’s oldest serving head of state and Africa’s second longest-tenured leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema. He is only the second president of Cameroon since independence from France in 1960. In 2008, Biya removed presidential term limits, paving the way for continued rule.
In his post-victory statement, Biya acknowledged “the weight of the responsibility” entrusted to him and called for unity in building a peaceful and prosperous Cameroon. “My first thoughts are with all those who have unnecessarily lost their lives, as well with their families, as a result of the post-election violence,” he said.
The election has been marred by controversy, including mass disqualifications and legal disputes, reducing the final ballot from 83 candidates to 12. Voter turnout was reported at 58% of the 8.2 million registered voters in the nation of 29 million. The Constitutional Council has rejected ten petitions alleging electoral malpractice.
The Constitutional Council announced Monday that Biya secured 53.66% of the vote in the October 12 election, while his main rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, received 35.19%. Tchiroma, who resigned from his post as transport and communication minister in June to challenge the veteran leader, had declared himself the winner two days after the polls closed, citing internal tallies.
Violence erupted in the aftermath of the election. At least four people were killed in the coastal city of Douala on Sunday when opposition supporters defied protest bans and clashed with security forces, alleging electoral fraud. The unrest continued on Monday, with Tchiroma reporting that two people were killed by snipers outside his residence in Garoua. A local journalist also stated that “a number of people” were shot dead near the opposition leader’s home.
Biya, 92, has held power since 1982, making him the world’s oldest serving head of state and Africa’s second longest-tenured leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema. He is only the second president of Cameroon since independence from France in 1960. In 2008, Biya removed presidential term limits, paving the way for continued rule.
In his post-victory statement, Biya acknowledged “the weight of the responsibility” entrusted to him and called for unity in building a peaceful and prosperous Cameroon. “My first thoughts are with all those who have unnecessarily lost their lives, as well with their families, as a result of the post-election violence,” he said.
The election has been marred by controversy, including mass disqualifications and legal disputes, reducing the final ballot from 83 candidates to 12. Voter turnout was reported at 58% of the 8.2 million registered voters in the nation of 29 million. The Constitutional Council has rejected ten petitions alleging electoral malpractice.
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