Cameroon votes in presidential election as Paul Biya, 92, seeks eighth term

Biya, the world’s oldest serving caput of state, is apt to widen his 43 years successful powerfulness successful the Central African nation.

Polls person opened successful Cameroon successful an predetermination that could spot the world’s oldest serving caput of authorities widen his regularisation for different 7 years.

The single-round predetermination connected Sunday is likely to return 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya arsenic president for an eighth word successful the Central African federation of 30 cardinal people.

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Biya, successful powerfulness for 43 years, faces disconnected against 11 challengers, including erstwhile authorities spokesperson Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who has generated unexpected momentum for a run calling for an extremity to the leader’s decades-long tenure.

Bakary – a adjacent state of Biya for 20 years, who resigned from the authorities successful June to articulation the absorption – is considered the apical contender to unseat the incumbent aft different starring opponent, Maurice Kamto, was barred from the race.

But analysts foretell Biya’s re-election, fixed his steadfast grip connected authorities machinery and a divided opposition.

‘Divide to rule’

“We shouldn’t beryllium naive. We cognize afloat good the ruling strategy has ample means astatine its disposal to get results successful its favour,” Cameroonian governmental idiosyncratic Stephane Akoa told the AFP quality agency, portion noting that the run had been “much livelier” successful caller days than erstwhile versions.

“This canvass is truthful much apt to propulsion up surprises,” helium said.

Francois Conradie, pb governmental economist astatine Oxford Economics, told the Reuters quality bureau that portion “a astonishment is inactive possible”, “a divided absorption and the backing of a formidable electoral instrumentality will, we predict, springiness the 92-year-old his eighth term”.

“Biya has remained successful powerfulness for astir 43 years by deftly dividing his adversaries, and, though we deliberation helium isn’t precise alert of what is going on, it seems that the instrumentality helium built volition disagreement to regularisation 1 past time,” Conradie said.

Biya – who has won each predetermination successful the past 20 years by much than 70 percent of the ballot – ran a characteristically low-profile campaign, appearing successful nationalist lone connected Tuesday for the archetypal clip since May, AFP reported.

His sole rally successful Maroua, the determination superior of the strategical Far North region, drew a assemblage of conscionable a fewer 100 people, acold smaller than a rally successful the aforesaid metropolis by Bakary this week, which drew thousands, AFP said.

‘We privation change’

Cameroon is Central Africa’s astir diversified system and a important shaper of lipid and cocoa.

But voters successful a state wherever astir 4 radical successful 10 unrecorded beneath the poorness line, according to the World Bank, kick astir the precocious outgo of living, precocious unemployment and a deficiency of cleanable water, healthcare and prime education.

“For 43 years, Cameroonians person been suffering. There are nary jobs,” Hassane Djbril, a operator successful the capital, Yaounde, told Reuters.

He said helium planned to ballot for Bakary. “We privation alteration due to the fact that the existent authorities is dictatorial.”

Herves Mitterand, a mechanic successful Douala, told Reuters that helium wanted to spot change.

“For me, things person lone gotten worse,” helium said. “We privation to spot that change, we privation to spot it really happen. We don’t privation to conscionable support proceeding words immoderate more.”

The ballot takes spot successful the shadow of a conflict betwixt separatist forces and the authorities that has plagued the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions since 2016.

More than 8 cardinal radical person registered to vote. The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to denote the last results.