Rita Odafe
Paul Biya
Paul Biya, the President of Cameroon, intends to participate in the upcoming presidential election at the age of 93.
As the longest-serving African president, Biya is currently 91 years old.
In the 2026 Presidential Election, he will seek his eighth term in office, reaching the age of 93 by then.
Kennedy Wandera, the founder of the Foreign Press Association Africa, revealed this development on Thursday, August 22, as reported by TheEastAfrican.
The announcement stated: “Cameroon is scheduled to hold its next presidential election in 2025, with long-term President Paul Biya at the age of 93. He has confirmed his intention to run.”
“If re-elected and he completes the new seven-year term, Biya will reach 100 years in 2032.
According to reports, the decision by Biya to postpone the election by a year (from 2025 to 2026) to allow his participation despite his advanced age has sparked criticism from the opposition in Cameroon.
The report mentioned that opposition figures may be barred from contesting, giving Biya an unopposed path to potentially secure another term and govern for another 7 years.
Since 1982, Biya has been in office for 42 years as the President. Prior to that, he also served as Prime Minister for 7 years from 1975 to 1982.
Moreover, he has delayed the Parliamentary and Municipal elections until 2026.
“Cameroon’s parliament approved Biya’s proposal last month to postpone the parliamentary and municipal elections until 2026 in order to ease the political schedule, citing overcrowding,” noted the report.
