BY SAH TERENCE
The world’s oldest reigning head of state, President Biya, could be president until he is nearly 100 if re-elected in October
Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya has promised to stand for an eighth term as president in the presidential election on October 12 this year.
Biya, who is the world‘s oldest currently–serving head of state, announced in both French and English on Sunday, July 13, 2025.
“I am a candidate for the presidential election,” he wrote. “Rest assured that my commitment to serve you is commensurate with urgency of challenges we have.”
Biya, who is seeking a new mandate that will have him in power until he will be virtually 100 years old, became leader more than four decades ago in 1982, following the resignation of his predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo.
His health has been a perpetual rumor mill, most recently last year when he disappeared from view for 42 days. His attempt to stand again had been long rumored but not formally announced until Sunday’s social media post.
Biya had been posting routine updates on his verified X account in the run-up to the announcement.
In 2018, for the first time, he also announced his candidacy for the year’s presidential election on social media, a unusual direct appeal to the public on digital platforms.
Senior ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) members and other supporters openly called for Biya to stand for election again last year.
However, opposition leaders and some civil society groups argue that his longer-than-average time in office has damaged economic and democratic development. Two former allies have withdrawn from the ruling coalition and announced they would be running in the election separately.
President Biya’s announcement to run again is an unmistakable signal of Cameroon’s halted political reform. Over 40 years on the job, what the country needs is rejuvenation – not rehash. Democratic reform and responsible governance are what Cameroonians merit,” Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights campaigner and lawyer, told The Associated Press news agency.
Sunday’s statement is bound to cause controversy over Biya’s suitability for office. He is seen publicly only infrequently, leaving largely to the powerful president’s office chief of staff to do his bidding.
In October, he returned to Cameroon after 42 days away, which had caused rumors he was unwell. The government insisted that he was healthy but forbade any discussion of his health, ruling that it was a national security issue.
Biya abolished term limits in 2008, setting the stage for him to run forever. He won the 2018 election on a 71.28 percent majority, though he had been criticized by opposition parties for widespread irregularities.
The oil- and cocoa-exporting Central African republic with only two presidents since gaining independence from the United Kingdom and France in the early 1960s is set to face a disorganized succession crisis in the event of Biya falling too ill to remain in office or dying.
Aside from Biya, other opposition figures also declared their intention to run for the post, including 2018 runner-up Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, Joshua Osih of the Social Democratic Front, lawyer Akere Muna and Cabral Libii of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation.
They all lamented Biya’s prolonged rule as president and called for reforms to render the 2025 poll free.
Under Biya’s leadership, Cameroon has suffered economic struggles and instability across multiple fronts, including a long-running secessionist conflict in its English-speaking north and frequent incursions from the Boko Haram militant group in the north.