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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
His government has denied claims of ballot stuffing and manipulating the courts to sideline opponents.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0President’s\u00a0victory chances.<\/p>\n
Biya rarely appears in public, fuelling consistent speculation that he is in poor health. The government last year banned public discussion of the topic.<\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
He acknowledged complaints about basic services like roads and electricity in the cocoa and oil-producing country.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
–Reuters–<\/p>\n
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