World’s oldest president wins Cameroon election amid protests

Cameroon’s 92-year-old President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting leader, has won reelection, the country’s Constitutional Council announced. The announcement follows days of clashes between protesters and security forces that left at least four people dead, as opposition supporters demanded credible results.

Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982, longer than most citizens have been alive. More than 70% of the population, which numbers nearly 30 million, is under 35, highlighting growing tensions between Africa’s youth and its aging leadership, The Washington Post reports.

The Constitutional Council reported that Biya received 53.66% of the vote, while former ally Issa Tchiroma Bakary secured 35.19%. Voter turnout was 57.7%. Following the announcement, Tchiroma posted on social media: “Shooting point-blank at your own brothers — I can’t help but wonder if you’re mercenaries. Kill me if you want, but I will liberate this country by any means necessary. What blatant impunity.” He had claimed victory days earlier based on results compiled by his party, which Biya’s supporters dismissed.

The unrest has been particularly intense in Douala, the economic capital, where four protesters were killed on October 26 as hundreds took to the streets. Videos circulated online showing demonstrators clashing with security forces, who used tear gas and blocked major roads in Douala, Garoua, and Maroua. At least 105 protesters were arrested, and several security personnel were injured.

Oumarou Bouba, a 27-year-old trader in Maroua, said: “I am ready to stake my life to defend my vote. I voted for Tchiroma because I want change.” Meanwhile, Biya supporter Flicia Feh defended the president: “Our president campaigned on hope. He started so many projects, like the Yaoundé-Douala motorway, and it’s just normal that he is given more time to complete what he started.”

Biya first came to power after the resignation of Cameroon’s founding president and later benefited from a constitutional amendment abolishing term limits. His tenure has faced criticism amid Boko Haram attacks in the north and a secessionist insurgency in English-speaking regions, which has killed nearly 7,000 people and displaced more than a million.

Experts warn of continued unrest. Emile Sunjo, a lecturer at the University of Buea, said, “Many young people…had hoped for change, but that their hopes have been dashed. It feels like a missed opportunity. Cameroon could potentially slide into anarchy.” Christopher Fomunyoh of the National Democratic Institute added that the Constitutional Council “boxed themselves into a corner” and warned of “inevitable consequences and backlash.”

By Vafa Guliyeva