Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, says he will seek eighth presidential term

Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya, who is 92 years old, has announced plans to run for an eighth term in this year’s presidential election on 12 October.



Biya, who is the world’s oldest serving head of state, made the announcement in posts on X on Sunday in both French and English.



“I am a candidate in the presidential election,” he wrote. “Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face.”



Biya, who is seeking a new term that could keep him in office until he is nearly 100, came to power more than four decades ago in 1982, when his predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo, resigned.



His health is the subject of frequent speculation, most recently last year when he disappeared from public view for 42 days. His re-election bid had been widely anticipated but not formally confirmed until Sunday’s social media post.



Biya had been posting regularly on his verified X handle in the buildup to the announcement.



In 2018, in a first, he also used social media to announce his candidacy for that year’s presidential contest, marking a rare direct engagement with the public on digital platforms.