Yaounde [Cameroon], July 15: AFP news agency reported yesterday (July 14) that Cameroonian President Paul Biya announced that he will run for an eighth term in the presidential election, scheduled to take place on October 12. Mr. Biya, 92 years old, has been President of Cameroon since 1982 and is the world's oldest serving head of state.
"Rest assured that my determination to serve is commensurate with the urgency of the challenges we face," Biya wrote on social media platform X on July 13. Although his re-election bid has long been expected, it was only confirmed in his latest post. Members of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Party (CPDM) have publicly called for Biya to run for another term. However, his health has frequently been the subject of debate, especially after he was not seen in public for 42 days last year.
Cameroon's presidential term lasts for seven years and Biya abolished term limits in 2008. Biya won the 2018 presidential election with 71.28 percent of the vote, according to Al Jazeera. This year, President Biya will face several prominent opposition candidates, including Maurice Kamto of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement (MRC) party - who came second in the 2018 election - and MP Cabral Libii of the Cameroon National Reconciliation Party (CPNR). The presidential candidates will have to make convincing promises to voters on a range of issues, including widespread youth unemployment , rising prices, separatist conflicts and attacks by the Boko Haram militant group in the north.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
