YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Cameroon's 92-year-old president announced Sunday he will seek his eighth term in the upcoming October elections. The announcement comes after months of speculation that the aging leader would not run, setting the stage for an electoral showdown.
Paul Biya, Africa’s second longest serving president after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, is frequently sick and abroad. Last year, talk spread that he had died, prompting the government to . Cameroon’s second president since independence from France in 1960, Biya has been in power since 1982.
Promising that the best is yet to come in his post on social media, Biya reiterated his determination to rule, saying, “Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us."
The more than 40 years of Biya’s rule have left a lasting impact. His government has faced various challenges, including allegations of corruption and a that has forced and triggered deadly clashes with security forces.
“President Biya’s announcement to run again is a clear sign of Cameroon’s stalled political transition. After over 40 years in power, what the country needs is renewal — not repetition. Cameroonians deserve democratic change and accountable leadership,†Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights advocate and lawyer told The Associated Press.
Cameroon has also had to deal with spillover violence by the Islamic extremist group, based in neighboring Nigeria.
Recently, to announce their own candidacies for president.
He in an election marred by irregularities and low turnout due to ongoing separatist and jihadi violence.
In a region threatened with , several other African countries also have presidents accused of using state mechanisms to prolong their stay in power. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni recently for a seventh term, a move that would bring him closer to five decades in power in .
