Cameroon’s long-time leader, Paul Biya, has secured another seven-year term, extending his more than four decades in power. The Constitutional Council announced on Monday that the 92-year-old, widely regarded as the world’s oldest serving head of state, won the presidential election with 53.7 percent of the votes — a result immediately rejected by the opposition as fraudulent.
Former minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary came second with 35.2 percent of the vote, while Cabral Libii trailed in third with 3.4 percent. Other candidates, including Bello Bouba Maigari and Hermine Patricia Tomaino Ndam Njoya, received less than three percent each.
Tchiroma dismissed the announced results, describing the process as “a masquerade, not an election.” He insisted that he had won “unequivocally,” citing his own tally that gave him 54.8 percent against Biya’s 31.3 percent. He accused the government of manipulating the figures and called on citizens to take to the streets in protest.
Demonstrations broke out across several cities following the announcement, some of which turned deadly. In the northern city of Garoua, Tchiroma reported that two of his supporters were killed when security forces opened fire near his residence. Witnesses told Zoyols Blog that snipers were seen positioned on rooftops during the chaos.
In Douala, Cameroon’s economic hub, at least four people lost their lives during clashes between protesters and security forces. Witnesses said officers initially used tear gas to disperse crowds before resorting to live ammunition.
Authorities have since banned public gatherings and restricted movement in key cities, deploying heavy police presence across the capital, Yaoundé, to maintain order. Many shops, petrol stations, and public offices remained closed, as residents stayed indoors to avoid possible violence.
With voter turnout at just 46.3 percent, critics say the result only reinforces Biya’s tight grip on a system long accused of corruption and repression. Biya, who first came to power in 1982, has ruled Cameroon with an iron hand through decades of social unrest, economic hardship, and ongoing separatist conflict in the country’s Anglophone regions.
Tchiroma, who campaigned on a promise of national rebuilding, had vowed to oversee a three- to five-year transition to restore stability and unity. His supporters, however, now claim their mandate has been stolen, setting the stage for renewed political tension in a country already deeply divided.
