YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has been declared the winner of the country’s October 12 presidential election, extending his 42-year rule after securing 53.7 percent of the vote, according to official results announced Monday by the Constitutional Council.
The 92-year-old leader, Africa’s oldest serving head of state, defeated former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who came second with 35.2 percent.
Tchiroma, however, rejected the results, claiming he had won 54.8 percent of the vote in his own tally and urging supporters to “defend their victory.”
Deadly Clashes in Douala
Tensions escalated over the weekend as protests erupted in the economic capital, Douala, where four people were killed in clashes between security forces and opposition supporters, regional authorities said.
Witnesses told AFP that security forces initially used tear gas before firing live ammunition to disperse demonstrators.
The violence underscored growing frustration among Cameroonians who accuse Biya’s government of electoral manipulation and political repression.
Opposition gatherings had been banned in major cities since the vote, and dozens of protesters have been arrested.
A Dynasty of Power
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, is only the second president since the country gained independence from France in 1960.
Over the decades, he has survived multiple political crises, economic downturns, and an ongoing separatist insurgency in the English-speaking regions.
Critics describe his leadership as authoritarian, marked by the muzzling of dissent, rigged elections, and widespread corruption.
Yet, Biya’s tight grip on the state apparatus — particularly the military and ruling party — has kept him entrenched in power.
Political analysts had widely expected his re-election in a system they say leaves little room for genuine competition.
