Paul Biya, the world’s oldest leader at 92, has been confirmed for an eighth term as president of Cameroon, a victory that could keep him in power until 2032 as he nears 100.
The Constitutional Council confirmed the win on Monday, declaring Biya the winner with nearly 54 percent of the October 12 vote. The result was immediately contested by the opposition, which claims the election was stolen. “This election is more of a protest vote,” said leading human rights lawyer Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla. “People just wanted change, not just because of Biya’s age, but also because nothing is working in the country.”
The announcement triggered protests in several cities. Regional authorities reported that at least four opposition supporters were killed in clashes with security forces in the economic capital, Douala, on Sunday. Biya’s main challenger, 76-year-old Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who officially won 35 percent of the vote, had claimed victory himself days earlier. “We will not accept our victory to be stolen from us,” he said last week. “The people will not stand for it.”
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for 43 years, has faced such opposition before; after the 2018 election, opposition figure Maurice Kamto was arrested and jailed for nine months after protesting the results.
