Cameroon is due to hold its next Presidential election in 2025, longtime President Paul Biya will be 93. He has confirmed that he will contest.
If he wins, and completes the new 7-year mandate, Biya will be 100 years in 2032.
His decisions—to delay the elections by a year and to allow him to contest despite his age—have infuriated opposition politicians in Cameroon.
But even these opponents may not be allowed to contest, leaving Biya free to win again and serve another seven-year mandate.
Cameroon’s parliament last month approved Biya’s request to postpone parliamentary and municipal elections until 2026 to allow some breathing space claiming that the political calendar is crowded.
Cameroon usually holds legislative elections before presidential ones, with the final candidates vying for the top job based on their parties’ strength in the legislative polls.
Now the election of MPs and municipal councillors, which are usually held in twos, will take place in 2026, after the presidential elections following Biya’s decree which effectively extends the mandate of lawmakers.
Now Cameroonians are reluctant to register as voters because they believe it is a waste of time and think President Paul Biya plans to rig elections.
Biya, 92, is one of Africa’s longest-serving presidents.
He took over in 1982 from President Ahmadou Ahidjo and has won a series of elections, most recently a 2018 vote that his opponents called fraudulent.