Cameroon has scheduled its next presidential election for Oct. 12, according to a decree signed Friday by President Paul Biya.
Candidates have 10 days from the convening of the electoral college to file their paperwork, the electoral code states. The winner will govern the oil- and cocoa-producing nation of almost 30 million people for a seven-year term.
Biya, 92, has ruled since 1982 and is the world’s oldest sitting head of state. He has not said whether he will run again. Constitutional changes in 2008 removed term limits, allowing him to seek office indefinitely.
The president officially won re-election in 2018 with 71 percent of the vote, though opposition parties and independent observers cited widespread irregularities.