Cameroon’s Elections Paul Biya declared provisional winner after 43 years in power

Marina Chauffaille

Life News Today

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (Oct. 21, 2025) — Cameroon’s National Vote Counting Commission has declared President Paul Biya the provisional winner of the 2025 presidential election, extending his rule that began more than four decades ago. The vote took place on Oct. 12 under the supervision of Elections Cameroon.

According to official tallies released Tuesday, Biya received 53% of the vote, while his closest challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, obtained about 35%. The results are pending final certification by the Constitutional Council, expected later this month.

At 92, Biya is Africa’s oldest elected head of state and one of its longest-serving. He rose to power in 1982 after the resignation of Ahmadou Ahidjo, Cameroon’s first president, who had led the country since its independence in 1960. During Biya’s tenure, the country has seen seven U.S. presidents, multiple constitutional reforms, and long stretches of political continuity that few nations on the continent have experienced.

Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, lies in Central Africa and shares borders with Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. With an estimated population of 29 million, it is home to more than 250 ethnic groups and two official languages, French and English, reflecting its colonial past under France and Britain.

The nation’s political system is a unitary presidential republic. The president appoints the prime minister, senior judges, and regional governors, and holds broad authority over the military. The Senate consists of 100 members, with 70 elected by regional councils and 30 appointed by the president. The National Assembly has 180 members chosen by proportional representation for five-year terms.

Elections Cameroon, or ELECAM, is the state-mandated body that organizes and oversees all elections and referendums in the country. Created by a 2006 law, it manages voter registration, ballot preparation, and result verification. ELECAM reported 7.8 million registered voters, representing about one-fourth of the population. Voter participation was highest in the central and southern provinces where Biya’s party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, remains influential. In the 2018 election, Biya won 71% of the vote on a 54% turnout.

Cameroon ranks 155th out of 191 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index, placing it among the lower-income nations where limited healthcare, education, and income growth continue to shape daily life. According to the 2024 UN report, most Cameroonians under 30 have known no other leader. Many young voters describe the election not as a choice between parties, but as a question of whether political renewal is still possible.

The economy relies on agriculture, oil, and forestry, yet inflation, unemployment, and energy shortages remain major concerns. Rising living costs and limited job opportunities continue to weigh heavily on households, especially in urban areas.

Violence persists in the Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions, where separatist conflicts since 2017 have displaced more than 700,000 people. The United Nations and African Union have called for restraint and renewed dialogue after reports of clashes during the 2025 presidential campaign, which observers said temporarily disrupted access to several polling centers.

Women make up about half the population and one-third of Parliament. Cameroon ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1994 and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2023. Roughly 4.6 million citizens live with disabilities, and advocacy groups continue to urge better accessibility at polling centers.

Opposition leader Tchiroma has challenged the provisional count, alleging inconsistencies between local and national vote tallies. Supporters of Biya’s party gathered in downtown Yaoundé celebrating the announcement, while regional and international observers from the African Union and the Francophonie Organization, both groups that monitor elections in member states to assess fairness and transparency, urged calm before final certification.

If confirmed, Biya’s victory would bring his presidency close to half a century, a tenure unmatched in Cameroon’s post-independence history. Supporters see the continuation of a long-standing order that has maintained national stability despite conflict and economic strain. Critics argue that such endurance reflects the country’s difficulty in renewing its institutions and leadership. As the nation awaits final certification of the vote, Cameroon stands at a familiar crossroad between preserving continuity and confronting the challenges of change in a democracy still shaped by one man’s legacy.