Do You Know Cameroon Has Had One President For 41 years and Counting

Born on February 13, 1933 (91 years ago), Paul Biya is a politician from Cameroon. He was the country's fifth prime minister from 1975 to 1982 before becoming the country's second president in 1982. As of 2024, he is the oldest head of state in the world, the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, and the current non-royal national leader with the longest tenure in office. Biya served in a number of Cameroonian government positions during the 1960s. Biya was appointed prime minister by President Ahmadou Ahidjo in June 1975. Biya was Ahidjo's constitutional successor as prime minister after his abrupt resignation in November 1982. On November 6, 1982, he took the oath of office as president. The only political organization in the nation, the Cameroon National Union (Union Nationale Camerounaise; UNC), which both men were members of, was still led by Ahidjo.

In the 1984 and 1988 elections, Biya was the only contender and was reelected as president. This seeming unity of support was belied by a failed coup attempt in April 1984, which raised suspicions that Ahidjo or his allies were involved. Biya disbanded the UNC the next year at its party congress and formed the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM; Rassemblement Démocratique de Peuple Camerounais [RDPC]) out of its remnants, serving as its leader.

Biya initially endorsed democratic reforms, but following the 1984 coup attempt, he changed his mind. Under intense criticism, Biya eventually agreed to the establishment of multiparty politics in the early 1990s after introducing political reforms in the 1980s under a one-party system. With 40% of the multiple-ballot vote in the tense 1992 presidential election, he was re-elected by landslides in 1997, 2004, 2011, and 2018. On each of these occasions, Western governments and opposition leaders have accused election irregularities and fraud. He did not win the 1992 elections, according to a number of sources, and the political opposition and others have claimed that widespread fraud plagued later polls. Biya attempted to amend the 1996 Constitution to let him to run for president again in 2011, but he was prevented from doing so by a two-term limit after being re-elected in 2004. Biya stated in his 2008 New Year's message that he was in favor of amending the Constitution and that restricting the people's choices was not democratic.

Throughout Biya's presidency, his lack of presence in Cameroon has been a cause of concern and criticism. He is well-known for his frequent vacations abroad, particularly to France and Switzerland, and when in Cameroon, he avoids public appearances. Another issue, which has grown increasingly important as Biya and his long-serving ministers age, is that there is no clear path for the younger generation to gather experience and prepare for the possibility of a post-Biya government. This worry was intensified in early October 2024 when reports that Biya was either dead or seriously ill started to circulate after he had not been seen or heard from since early September and had missed important international events in the weeks that followed. His most recent public appearance was in Beijing, when he reportedly looked ill, according to some accounts. At first, the Cameroonian government denied the rumors, claiming Biya was in good condition and was just in Geneva. However, on October 9, a government official forbade any media speculation regarding Byia's health.