Cameroon Holds Presidential Election as Longtime Leader Seeks New Term
Cameroonians are voting today in a presidential election that could extend the four-decade rule of 91-year-old Paul Biya, one of the world’s longest-serving leaders.
Polls opened across the Central African nation at 8:00 a.m. local time, with over 8 million registered voters casting ballots at more than 31,000 polling stations. The election comes as Cameroon grapples with significant security challenges and widespread poverty; nearly 43% of the population lives below the poverty line according to United Nations estimates. Biya, who has been president since 1982, is seeking a seventh term in office.
Facing nine opposition candidates, including former allies Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Biya campaigned on a promise of change, particularly for the country’s impoverished north. “In the face of increasingly difficult international environment, the challenges facing us are more and more pressing,” Biya said in announcing his candidacy. The election is being closely watched as a potential indicator of stability in a region facing increasing political and economic uncertainty; learn more about Africa’s political landscape from the Council on Foreign Relations.
The country is currently facing both a secessionist conflict in the western regions between English-speaking separatists and government forces, and a continuing insurgency from Boko Haram in the north. Results are expected by October 26th, and officials have urged citizens to participate peacefully in the democratic process.
