YAOUNDÉ — Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting president and Africa’s second-longest serving leader, took the oath of office in a tightly secured, partially deserted capital on Thursday, promising to remain faithful to voters’ trust and to work for a “united, stable and prosperous” Cameroon.
The 92-year-old incumbent was sworn in during a joint parliamentary session, days after the Constitutional Council declared him winner of the October 12 election with 53.66%, ahead of former ally-turned-challenger Issa Tchiroma Bakary on 35.19%. Tchiroma has rejected the outcome as fraudulent, alleging “electoral theft” and calling for a three-day national lockdown that followed street protests in several cities. The government has confirmed at least five deaths; opposition and civil society groups claim higher tolls.
Outside the ceremony’s formalities, reactions ranged from fatigue to conditional hope.
“I’m tired of Biya’s rule and I no longer care whatever he does,” said Priscilla Ayimboh, a 40-year-old seamstress in Yaoundé, citing the lack of roads, water and jobs. Njewa Betrand Mbohchukeh, 30, a high-school teacher, said the next seven years “may improve if there is a positive change in government policy, or completely worsen if the regime maintains inertia toward the masses.”
The political context remains fraught. Munjah Vitalis Fagha, a senior politics lecturer at the University of Buea, described the inauguration as unfolding in “a tense yet controlled political atmosphere,” with deepening divides between the ruling elite and a “growingly disillusioned populace.” He pointed to persistent security crises in the Anglophone regions, questions over governance and succession, and mounting pressure for political renewal.
Biya first assumed power in 1982 and has since governed under a 2008 constitutional amendment that removed term limits. His health has long been a subject of speculation as he spends extended periods abroad, while key party figures and family members are seen to wield growing influence at home. More than 70% of Cameroon’s nearly 30 million citizens are under 35—meaning most have known no other leader. If Biya completes this term, he would approach his centenary in office.
After nearly five decades of Biya-era rule, Cameroon faces a stubborn combination of armed insurgencies in the north and west and a sluggish economy. Whether the president’s renewed pledge of unity and prosperity can bend the trajectory—and temper public anger—will be tested quickly in the months ahead.
