Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has declared President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting head of state, as the winner of the October 12, 2025, presidential election, extending his decades-long rule over the Central African nation.
The 92-year-old leader, who has been in power since 1982, secured 53.66% of the vote, defeating his former ally-turned-opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who garnered 35.19%, according to official results announced on Monday, October 27, 2025.
The announcement came amid violent protests in major cities, where security forces clashed with opposition supporters demanding what they called “credible results.” At least four people were killed in Douala, the country’s economic capital, after demonstrators flooded the streets on Sunday.
Regional Governor Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua confirmed that several security officers were injured and 105 protesters arrested during the unrest. Footage shared on social media showed tear gas being fired as security forces attempted to clear barricaded roads in Douala, Garoua, and Maroua.
Tensions had been escalating in the days leading up to the court’s announcement. Bakary had already declared victory, claiming his team had independently tallied votes showing he won. President Biya dismissed the claims, calling them “unfounded.”
In his reaction to the results, one protester, Oumarou Bouba, a 27-year-old trader in Maroua, said he was ready to “defend his vote,” adding, “I voted for Tchiroma because I want change.”
Biya’s re-election has deepened generational frustrations in a country where over 70% of citizens are under 35, many of whom view his continued rule as a symbol of stagnation and exclusion.
The long-serving president, who once benefited from a constitutional amendment scrapping term limits, has often governed remotely while spending extended periods abroad. Critics accuse him of presiding over worsening economic inequality and multiple crises including Boko Haram insurgencies in the north and separatist conflicts in the English-speaking regions of the North West and South West, which have claimed nearly 7,000 lives and displaced over a million people.
Despite its oil wealth and modest economic growth, Cameroon’s youth continue to face limited opportunities, with 57% of young people working in informal jobs, according to World Bank data.
As Biya embarks on yet another term, Cameroon faces a familiar crossroads balancing stability under the continent’s longest-serving ruler against rising public discontent and calls for democratic renewal.
