YOAUNDE – Cameroon’s president Paul Biya announced Sunday he will seek his eighth term in the October elections, following speculations that he may not run because of his advanced age.
92-year-old Biya – frequently sick and seeking treatment abroad – is Africa’s second-longest-serving president after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, having been in power since 1982.
Promising that the best is yet to come in his post on social media, Biya reiterated his determination to rule, saying, “Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us.”
“President Biya’s announcement to run again is a clear sign of Cameroon’s stalled political transition. After over 40 years in power, what the country needs is renewal — not repetition. Cameroonians deserve democratic change and accountable leadership,” Nkongho Felix Agbor, a human rights advocate and lawyer told The Associated Press.