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2h ago

Cameroon Votes as 92-Year-Old President Paul Biya Seeks Eighth Term

Opposition fragmentation, Kamto's exclusion, state dominance keep the incumbent favored.

À la tête de l’État depuis quarante-trois ans, Paul Biya est le plus vieux dirigeant élu au monde. Ici à Yagoua, dans l’Extrême-Nord, le 30 septembre.
Cameroon's opposition presidential candidate Cabral Libii, backed by the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN), arrives to attend a campaign rally in the Anguissa neighbourhood of Yaounde, Cameroon, October 10, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
Cameroon's opposition presidential candidate Cabral Libii, backed by the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation (PCRN), attends a campaign rally in the Anguissa neighbourhood of Yaounde, Cameroon, October 10, 2025. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

Overview

  • Polling stations opened on October 12 for a single-round presidential vote with just over eight million registered voters and closing set for 1700 GMT.
  • Paul Biya, in power since 1982 after scrapping term limits in 2008, is widely expected by analysts to retain office despite recent energy around challengers.
  • Former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary has emerged as the most visible rival, drawing large crowds in the north after breaking with the ruling camp in June.
  • The government authorized about 55,000 observers, including the African Union, and warned against any premature result claims as online platforms plan independent tallies.
  • Turnout and logistics remain strained in conflict-hit English-speaking regions and the Far North, where separatist and jihadi violence has depressed participation in past votes.