Cameroon’s long-serving President, Paul Biya, has officially announced his intention to seek an eighth term in the country’s upcoming presidential election scheduled for October 12, 2025.
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Biya, 92, made the declaration on Sunday via a post on X (formerly Twitter), reaffirming his resolve to continue leading the Central African nation despite mounting criticism over his age, health, and leadership style.
“I am a candidate for the October 12, 2025 presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us,” he wrote.
“Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet. The best is still to come.”
While widely expected to run as the de facto candidate of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), Biya’s formal declaration comes amid increasing internal dissent and high-profile defections from his party.
Two key political figures and former allies have recently broken away from Biya’s orbit. Employment Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary resigned in June to contest the election under his party, the Front for the National Salvation of Cameroon (FSNC). Similarly, former Prime Minister Bello Bouba Maigari, an ally of Biya for nearly three decades, is now running under the banner of the National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP).
Their departures reflect growing unrest within the ruling coalition and cast further doubt on Biya’s ability to unify his base ahead of the polls.
Despite Biya’s vulnerabilities, the opposition remains deeply divided. Maurice Kamto, who was the runner-up in the 2018 election and one of Biya’s most vocal critics, has declared his candidacy under the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC). Also in the race is Cabral Libii of the Cameroonian Party for National Reconciliation (CPNR), a prominent opposition figure.
Political observers say the inability of the opposition to present a unified front could once again play to Biya’s advantage, despite widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership.
Cameroonians continue to grapple with high youth unemployment, surging inflation, and deteriorating public services. Additionally, sporadic violence by separatist groups in the English-speaking regions of the largely francophone country continues to destabilize local communities.
While Biya’s CPDM has maintained power since the country’s independence in 1960, growing frustration among citizens and cracks within the ruling party suggest this election could present the strongest challenge to his decades-long rule.
Candidates have until July 21 to formally declare their intention to run.
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