The election comes amid concerns about Biya’s ability to govern—and, indeed, to stay alive at all—during the forthcoming term, which would end when he was 99. Biya's own daughter has called for people to vote against him. He is visibly aged, encapsulated by his apparent difficulty walking and a viral hot mic moment in 2022 where he expressed confusion about his whereabouts. The day official campaigning started, Biya was in Switzerland on a private stay. The purpose of the visit was unannounced but allegedly for medical care , only compounding suspicion. Moreover, a multitude of crises are brewing , marking a stark departure from Cameroon’s reputation as a stable outlier in a tumultuous region.

On Oct. 12, citizens of Cameroon, a Central African country with a population of 30 million, will vote in a presidential election. Irregularities have already marred the process, including the misuse of state resources and interference in opposition campaigning —which will all but certainly be followed with the manipulation of results—a blend that has reliably delivered for the ruling party. Therefore, the likely victor is long-term incumbent Paul Biya of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), who at nearly 93 is the world’s oldest head of state . A win would continue his more than four-decade grip on power , having been president since 1982, and mark his sixth electoral victory since the introduction of multiparty rule in Cameroon in 1990.

On Oct. 12, citizens of Cameroon, a Central African country with a population of 30 million, will vote in a presidential election. Irregularities have already marred the process, including the misuse of state resources and interference in opposition campaigning—which will all but certainly be followed with the manipulation of results—a blend that has reliably delivered for the ruling party. Therefore, the likely victor is long-term incumbent Paul Biya of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), who at nearly 93 is the world’s oldest head of state. A win would continue his more than four-decade grip on power, having been president since 1982, and mark his sixth electoral victory