Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, wins eighth term in office
27th October 2025
Cameroon’s long-serving president, Paul Biya, has secured another seven-year term after winning 53.66% of the vote in the country’s latest presidential election.
His closest rival, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, garnered 35.19%, according to official results announced by the Constitutional Council.
The 92-year-old leader, already the world’s oldest serving head of state, first came to power in 1982.
His new mandate extends his rule until 2032 — potentially marking 50 years in office by the end of the term, when he will be nearly 100 years old.
Biya’s re-election defied mounting calls for him to retire and comes amid criticism of his limited campaign activity, with the president making only one public appearance where he told supporters that “the best is still to come.”
His long tenure has repeatedly faced allegations of vote manipulation and repression, claims his government continues to deny.
This year’s election presented one of his strongest challenges yet from Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister and government spokesperson who broke away from Biya’s administration to lead a coalition-backed campaign that attracted widespread public support.
Despite the opposition’s efforts, Biya’s firm control of state institutions and his ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) helped secure another decisive, though contested, victory.