YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon — Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has declared 92-year-old Paul Biya the winner of the country’s highly contested presidential election, extending his rule for another seven years.
Biya, who has been in power since 1982, secured 53.66 percent of the vote, according to official results announced on Monday, September 27, 2025.
His main challenger, Issa Tchiroma, 76, a former government spokesperson, finished second with 35.19 percent.
The victory gives Biya an unprecedented eighth consecutive term, which will see him remain in office until 2032 — by which time he will be almost 100 years old.
It also reaffirms his position as the world’s oldest serving head of state.
In the days leading up to the announcement, protests erupted across the country following Tchiroma’s calls for mass demonstrations.
The opposition leader had declared himself the winner and urged Cameroonians to “stand against falsified and distorted results.”
At least four people were killed and over 100 arrested during clashes with security forces in Douala, the country’s commercial capital.
After casting his ballot on Sunday, October 12, 2025, Biya appeared unruffled, telling reporters: “Nothing is given. Let’s wait and see. Let’s wait for the name of the winner.”
Observers fear Biya’s re-election could fuel further unrest in the Central African nation, where frustrations over his decades-long rule have simmered for years.
The president, known for his long stays in luxury hotels abroad — particularly in Switzerland — is rarely seen in public.
His frequent absences and advanced age have fuelled repeated rumours of ill health or death, which he has continually defied by re-emerging in power.
Biya’s tenure makes him Africa’s second-longest-serving leader, surpassed only by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, who has ruled since 1979.
