Sun Oct 12 08:13:15 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Cameroon Votes in Election Likely to Extend Paul Biya’s 43-Year Rule**

**Yaounde, Cameroon** – Cameroonians cast their ballots on Sunday in an election that is widely expected to extend the 43-year rule of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state. The 92-year-old incumbent is seeking an eighth term in the Central African nation of 30 million people.

Biya faced 11 challengers, with former government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, emerging as a leading contender. Bakary, who resigned from the government in June to join the opposition, has generated unexpected momentum with his calls for an end to Biya’s decades-long tenure. However, analysts predict Biya’s re-election due to his firm control of state machinery and a divided opposition.

Voters expressed a desire for the winner to address critical issues facing the country, including unemployment, falling commodity prices, rising poverty, and the need for infrastructure investment. Despite economic growth in recent years, many Cameroonians struggle with the high cost of living and a lack of access to basic necessities.

While Biya has won every election in the past 20 years by over 70% of the vote, he has also run a low-profile campaign, only appearing in public once since May.

The election took place against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict between separatist forces and the government in the English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest Cameroon.

The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to announce the final results. While some experts suggest the poll could produce surprises due to a “much livelier” campaign, others believe Biya’s “formidable electoral machine” will secure him another term.

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