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Cameroon’s Paul Biya Faces Unprecedented Calls To Step Down As He Seeks Eighth Term
Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya, Africa’s longest-serving leader, is pressing ahead with his bid for an eighth term despite mounting public and political pressure for him to step aside. Biya, who has ruled the Central African nation since 1982, announced his re-election bid in July, saying he was responding to “numerous and insistent calls” to continue leading.
However, this year’s election cycle has been marked by rare and vocal dissent — including from within his own circle.
The first major criticism came from Catholic Archbishop Samuel Kleda, who declared on French radio last Christmas that it was “not realistic” for Biya to keep governing at his age. Soon after, two cabinet members from Cameroon’s influential northern regions defected, questioning the president’s fitness to lead.
Even more striking was a public rebuke from Biya’s daughter, 27-year-old Brenda Biya, who said in a TikTok video that her father had “made too many people suffer” and urged citizens to vote him out. Although she later retracted the statement, the video continues to circulate widely, fuelling opposition sentiment.
Despite growing calls for change and persistent concerns over his health, Biya remains a formidable political force ahead of the October 12 polls. Analysts say his enduring power stems from an entrenched system of patronage, loyalty within the military, weak institutions, and a fragmented opposition.
“The president has managed to enforce loyalty to him and the system,” said Arrey Ntui, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group. “Very few people in the ruling system are willing to put their heads above the parapet to challenge him.”
Speculation over Biya’s health has intensified in recent years, particularly after he vanished from public view for 42 days last year. The government dismissed the rumours as “pure fantasy” and even banned public discussion of his health. Yet, many Cameroonians continue to question whether the ageing leader is physically capable of serving another term
Biya has outlasted political turbulence and challenges that might have ended most presidencies. He survived a coup attempt in 1984, narrowly won Cameroon’s first multi-party elections in 1992, and amended the constitution in 2008 to abolish presidential term limits. His victories in 2011 and 2018, though marred by allegations of fraud and intimidation, reaffirmed his hold on power.
Meanwhile, everyday frustrations persist for citizens facing chronic shortages of electricity, poor road networks, and inadequate waste management.
The credibility of this year’s vote is already in question. In July, a court barred Biya’s main challenger, Maurice Kamto — who finished second in 2018 — from contesting, ruling that his party had already endorsed another candidate. Human Rights Watch condemned the decision, saying it “raises concerns about the credibility of the electoral process.”
Kamto, who previously accused Biya of rigging the 2018 election, was arrested in 2019 after leading protests. He faced charges of insurrection before a military court but was released later that year.
Fear of government reprisal remains widespread in Cameroon, where public criticism of the regime is often met with intimidation or arrest.
“When you take a taxi in Cameroon, you don’t know who exactly is the driver,” said Raoul Sumo Tayo, a senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies. “People are afraid to speak… and it empowers the regime.”
As the October election nears, many Cameroonians see the vote less as a contest of ideas and more as another test of how long Biya’s political machinery can sustain his decades-long rule.
