Cameroon’s Paul Biya Wins Eighth Term With 53.7% of Vote Amid Opposition Unrest

Yaoundé, Cameroon – President Paul Biya, Africa’s oldest and longest-serving leader, has been re-elected for an eighth consecutive term, winning 53.66% of the votes in Cameroon’s October 12 presidential election, the Constitutional Council announced Monday.

The result, which extends Biya’s rule into a possible seventh decade, comes after a week of protests and opposition claims of electoral fraud.

Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister who broke with Biya earlier this year, rejected the outcome and declared himself the rightful winner.

He claimed on social media that gunfire was directed at civilians gathered outside his home in the northern city of Garoua, though Reuters said it could not independently verify the account.

Government officials have not yet commented on the allegations, but security forces have clashed with protesters in several cities following early projections by local media that indicated Biya was leading.

“Hereby declared elected President of the Republic, having obtained the majority of the votes cast, the candidate, Biya, Paul,” said Clement Atangana, president of the Constitutional Council, during the televised announcement.

At 92 years old, Biya has been in power since 1982, making him the world’s longest-serving head of state. The constitutional amendment of 2008, which abolished presidential term limits, paved the way for his continued rule.

If he serves the full term, Biya could remain in office until he is nearly 100 years old.

Tchiroma, in his late 70s, had campaigned on promises of democratic reforms, anti-corruption measures, and regional unity. His campaign drew widespread support from opposition parties and civic groups, particularly in the northern regions and parts of the Anglophone west.

Last week, he declared victory before official results were announced, saying he “would not accept any other outcome.”

The government has repeatedly dismissed allegations of vote-rigging, insisting the election was conducted transparently.