Cameroon Elections: World’s oldest President Paul Biya re-elected for 8th term

In a result that surprised few observers of Central African politics, 92-year-old Paul Biya has been re-elected as President of Cameroon for an unprecedented eighth term.

The Constitutional Council officially announced the results on Monday, October 27, 2025, with Council President Clement Atangana declaring, “Hereby proclaimed President-elect: the candidate Biya Paul.”

This victory extends one of the longest presidential tenures in modern history. Biya, currently the world’s oldest sitting president, first assumed power in 1982 after succeeding Ahmadou Ahidjo. For more than four decades, he has governed the bilingual nation of French and English speakers, making him not only Cameroon’s longest-serving leader but also one of Africa’s most enduring political figures.

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The election took place against a complex backdrop of internal challenges. Since 2016, Cameroon has faced a separatist insurgency in its English-speaking regions, where communities have complained of marginalisation by the French-speaking majority government. The conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands and claimed thousands of lives.

The nation also continues to grapple with security threats from Boko Haram militants in the Far North region, economic difficulties, and persistent allegations of human rights abuses and restrictions on democratic freedoms.

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Critics have long questioned the fairness of elections under Biya’s leadership, raising concerns about press freedom, opposition suppression, and irregularities in the voting process. Despite these challenges, Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement continues to maintain firm control over the country’s political institutions.

At 92, questions about succession and the nation’s political future are growing louder. Yet with his eighth term now secured, Paul Biya shows no indication of stepping aside, further cementing his position as one of the most resilient and controversial figures in African politics.