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Cameroon voted successful an predetermination Sunday (October 12, 2025) that could spot Africa's oldest person widen his regularisation by different 7 years.
Analysts person predicted a triumph for President Paul Biya. Now 92, helium would beryllium 99 by the clip his word finishes. He archetypal came to powerfulness successful 1982 pursuing the resignation of Cameroon's archetypal president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, and has ruled the state since then. Mr. Biya was declared the victor of 7 consequent elections. Cameroon has seen conscionable 2 leaders since independency successful 1960.
However, cracks whitethorn beryllium appearing successful Mr. Biya's image.
His wellness has routinely been a taxable of speculation arsenic helium spends astir of his clip successful Europe, leaving day-to-day governing to cardinal enactment officials and household members.
Dr Benjamin Akih, an activistic and prof astatine Syracuse University, believes that the absorption campaigner Issa Tchiroma Bakary whitethorn triumph owed to Mr. Biya's property and his agelong way grounds of moving Cameroon.
“I deliberation this predetermination is different. Mr Biya was the weakest campaigner the CPDM could enactment guardant connected relationship of his property and the mediocre authorities of the state aft his 43 years successful power," helium said.
“In the look of progressively hard planetary environment, the challenges facing america are much and much pressing,” Biya said successful announcing different run. “In specified a situation, I cannot shirk my mission.”
Mr. Biya faces 9 absorption candidates, including immoderate erstwhile allies and appointees. They see Bello Bouba Maigari, who was curate for tourism, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who until precocious served arsenic the curate of employment.
Mr. Biya voted astatine a superior schoolhouse successful the superior Yaounde, telling reporters that helium wouldn't remark connected his plans until the results were in.
Results are expected astatine the latest by October 26.
Joshua Osih, an absorption campaigner for president for the Social Democratic Front and a subordinate of parliament who came 4th successful the 2018 election, told The Associated Press his enactment was disquieted astir elector fraud but stressed that the process of counting the votes volition beryllium long.
“There is inactive a batch of country for advancement to marque things smoother. Unfortunately, the bottlenecks arsenic we usually accidental are the aggregate ballots alternatively of azygous ballots and besides the information that the process is truly cumbersome,” said Mr. Osih. "The strategy makes it specified that the elections cannot beryllium escaped and fair, that we know."
There is simply a azygous circular of voting successful Cameroon and whoever gets the astir votes is the winner.
Cheukam Ginette, a 34-year-old environmentalist and first-time voter, said she won't take Mr. Biya.
“Things person to change. First of all, beingness is expensive, getting aesculapian attraction is not easy," she said extracurricular of a polling presumption successful Yaounde. "There are nary roads, we person potholes everywhere. Everything is ruined. That's wherefore I voted for the opposition. I bash not person assurance successful the electoral process due to the fact that we cognize our state but I'm hopeful.”
At a run rally past week successful the bluish metropolis of Maroua, Mr. Biya promised alteration for 1 of Cameroon's poorest areas. The predominantly Muslim northbound accounts for astir 20 per cent of the eligible voters, and Maigari and Bakary bid beardown followings there.
Cameroon faces escalating information crises. In the occidental region, a secessionist warfare is being fought betwixt chiefly English-speaking separatists who assertion they are marginalized by the French-speaking majority, and authorities forces. In the north, the Boko Haram insurgency spills implicit from neighboring Nigeria, with equipped groups routinely attacking borderline towns.
At slightest 43 per cent of the colonisation unrecorded successful poorness arsenic measured by halfway surviving standards specified arsenic income, acquisition and health, according to UN estimates.
Around 8 cardinal voters, including implicit 34,000 overseas, are eligible to ballot astatine much than 31,000 polling stations successful the Central African nation. Cameroon has a colonisation of implicit 29 cardinal people, a bulk overwhelmingly young.
