Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has announced his intention to seek an eighth term in office in the elections scheduled for October, aiming to extend his nearly 43 years in power.
Biya, aged 92, shared the announcement on X in both French and English.
“I am a candidate for the presidential election on 12 October 2025.
“Rest assured that my determination to serve you is matched by the serious challenges we face. Together, there are no challenges we cannot overcome.
“The best is yet to come,” he stated.
In a statement titled, ‘Declaration of Candidacy for the 12 October 2025 Presidential Election by His Excellency Paul Biya,’ the president remarked, “Ensuring the security and well-being of the sons and daughters of our beloved and beautiful country is the sacred duty to which I have dedicated my time and energy since taking the helm of state.”
“However, much remains to be accomplished. In the face of an increasingly difficult international environment, the challenges before us are becoming ever more urgent,” he noted.
“In such circumstances, I cannot shirk my mission.
I have therefore decided to heed the numerous and insistent calls from the ten regions of our country and from the diaspora.”
“The best is yet to come,” he reiterated.
“I am a candidate for the presidential election on 12 October 2025. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is matched by the serious challenges we face.
“Together, there are no challenges we cannot overcome. The best is yet to come.”
Biya was already the de facto candidate of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), of which he is the party leader. However, his age has raised questions about his health and capacity to govern.
In recent months, several long-time supporters have seemingly distanced themselves from him, and two high-profile defections from Biya’s camp have occurred recently.
Employment Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned from the government in June to contest in the election for his Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC).
Former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya for nearly 30 years, has also announced his candidacy with the National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP).
Both Tchiroma’s and Maigari’s parties were long-standing allies of Biya’s CPDM, which has held power since independence in 1960.
Also in the running are Maurice Kamto, who came second in the 2018 presidential election and is Biya’s most vocal critic, along with prominent opposition figure Cabral Libii from the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation (CPNR).
Candidates have until 21 July to declare their intention to run for office.
However, the opposition remains deeply divided and struggles to unite behind a single candidate, even though public sentiment is critical of the government.
Biya, whose new bid could see him remain in power until nearly the age of 100, first took office in 1982 following the resignation of his predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo.
He has now governed Cameroon for over four decades.
Cameroonians often express concerns about rampant youth unemployment, rising prices, and inadequate public services.
Additionally, violence occasionally erupts from separatist groups, particularly in the English-speaking regions of this predominantly Francophone country.
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