92-Year-Old Biya Re-Elected As Cameroon President After 43 Years In Power
President Paul Biya has been officially declared winner of Cameroon’s 2025 Presidential Election, extending his more than four-decade rule and solidifying his place as the world’s oldest serving head of state.
According to results announced on Monday by the Constitutional Council, Biya, 92, secured 53.66% of the votes, defeating his closest rival, Issa Tchiroma, who garnered 35.19%.
The election was held on October 12, 2025, with results officially confirmed nearly two weeks later.
With this victory, Biya is set to govern the Central African nation for another seven years, extending his leadership until 2032, when he will be 99 years old, barring any constitutional changes or unforeseen developments.
Despite a strong showing by Tchiroma among Cameroonian diaspora voters, Biya’s dominance within the country’s domestic electorate proved decisive.
Official figures show that Tchiroma won the majority of votes cast by Cameroonians abroad, securing 62.79% in Europe, 66.75% in the Americas, and 68.21% in Asia and the Middle East, compared to Biya’s lower margins in those regions.
Across Africa, Tchiroma also led the diaspora vote with 54.99%, but more than half of eligible overseas voters reportedly abstained.
The Constitutional Council, however, clarified that the national results are determined by total votes cast across all constituencies, not by regional or diaspora performance.
Biya’s re-election comes amid renewed calls from opposition groups and civil society for political transition and electoral reforms. Critics have long accused his administration and the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) of suppressing dissent and manipulating electoral processes to retain power.
Nevertheless, the government has maintained that the 2025 polls were free, fair, and credible, insisting that the outcome reflects the will of the Cameroonian people.
Biya, who first assumed office in 1982 following the resignation of Ahmadou Ahidjo, has now ruled for 43 years, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in African history.
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