Cameroonian President Paul Biya is running for an eighth term on Sunday that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, seeking to overcome frustration with his decades-long rule and a spirited challenge from a former government mouthpiece.
Biya took office in 1982 and has held a tight grip on power ever since, doing away with the presidential term limit in 2008 and winning re-election by comfortable margins.
His government has denied claims of ballot stuffing and manipulating the courts to sideline opponents.
Maurice Kamto, Biya’s top challenger in the 2018 election, has been disqualified this time and the remaining contenders have failed to rally around a unity candidate, boosting the President’s victory chances.
Biya rarely appears in public, fuelling consistent speculation that he is in poor health. The government last year banned public discussion of the topic.
He has attended one campaign rally this year, on Tuesday in the northern city of Maroua, where he thanked people for their support “despite the false omens, the slander, the fabrications”.
He acknowledged complaints about basic services like roads and electricity in the cocoa and oil-producing country.
“I am well aware of the problems that are of concern to you. I am aware of the unfulfilled expectations that make you doubt the future,” he said. “I can assure you that these problems are not impossible to overcome.”
–Reuters–
