Cameroonians went to the polls Sunday to vote in a presidential election dominated by 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya. Biya, seeking an unprecedented eighth term, has ruled the country since 1982, commanding a firm grip on state machinery.
Opposition forces have rallied behind former government spokesperson Issa Tchiroma, 76, drawing crowds demanding an end to Biya’s decades-long tenure. Tchiroma has received endorsements from opposition parties and civic groups, portraying himself as the candidate of change and renewed hope.
Analysts, however, caution that Biya’s control and the opposition’s fragmentation make a surprise upset highly unlikely in Cameroon’s single-round system. The Central African nation of 30 million people has endured decades of economic stagnation, with oil and cocoa production failing to lift livelihoods.
In Yaounde’s Briqueterie neighbourhood, driver Hassane Djbril said he hopes the election will finally bring meaningful social and economic change. “For 43 years, Cameroonians have been suffering. There are no jobs. We want change because the current government is dictatorial,” he said.
Biya’s government denies dictatorial practices, insisting Cameroon maintains democratic norms with regular, transparent elections across the nation’s regions. Voting opened at 0700 GMT and closed at 1700 GMT, with official results expected within 15 days, according to election authorities.
Biya abolished presidential term limits in 2008, leveraging divide-and-rule tactics that analysts say have ensured his prolonged political dominance. Francois Conradie of Oxford Economics noted that Biya’s electoral machine remains formidable, despite the leader’s advanced age and public discontent.
Under the slogan “Greatness and Hope,” Biya held only one campaign rally, relying on state media and social media to reach voters. Residents express growing frustration over empty promises and stagnation, demanding real change rather than rhetoric, highlighting deepening societal impatience. Just over eight million Cameroonians were registered to vote, underscoring the high stakes in a nation yearning for political renewal.