27.10.2025
Paul Biya, aged 92 and the world’s oldest head of state, has been officially declared winner of the presidential election in Cameroon, securing a historic eighth term in office.
The ruling was announced by the country’s Constitutional Council on Monday after a vote held earlier this month.
Biya has been in power since 1982 and extends his decades-long rule amid significant political tension. He faces accusations of delaying results, restricting opposition participation, and overseeing a system in which his party holds deep influence. While Biya’s victory seems assured, the announcement comes amid unrest and claims of irregularities in the electoral process.
The opposition has denounced the result as lacking credibility and called for national dialogue. With Biya now entering another term in office, analysts say Cameroon’s political trajectory remains in the balance — facing demands for change and questions over future stability.
On Sunday hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, responding to a nationwide call from opposition figure Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Demonstrators—mostly young people—marched through major thoroughfares, demanding that authorities acknowledge Tchiroma’s victory in the recent election and disclose the true results of the vote, expected to be officially announced on Monday.
According to local reports, the demonstrations quickly spread across several neighborhoods of Douala, including the densely populated New Bell area. Tensions escalated when police and anti-riot gendarmes allegedly used live ammunition to disperse the crowds. Witnesses say two people were shot, while several others were rushed to nearby hospitals, with some in critical condition.
As news of the clashes circulated, protests extended beyond Douala, with cities such as Garoua, Maroua, Meinganga, Kaélé, and Bertoua joining in what many are calling a national movement for electoral truth.
Protesters take over streets of Cameroon..