World's oldest president set to extend record-breaking term to age 99
Topics: Politics, Africa, World News
Liv Bridge
Featured Image Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Topics: Politics, Africa, World News
The world's oldest president could end up being 99 by the time his term finishes in another unprecedented record.
President Paul Biya, born February 13, 1933, has sat as Cameroon's president since 1982, spanning more than four decades.
Not only does the feat make him one the longest-serving heads of state in history, but also one of the world's oldest, having this year celebrated his 92nd birthday.
The Guinness Book of World Records celebrates him as the 'oldest president ever' on record.
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Biya was elected as the country's prime minister in 1975 before being sworn in as president in November 1982.
He was then re-elected as the sole candidate in 1984 and again in 1988.
Although opposition emerged later on, his Cameroonian People's Democratic Movement (RDPC) has won virtually landslide majorities in every election since the 1990s.
Now, analysts predict Biya will sweep the floor once again as the national went to the polls yesterday (12 October), with the Constitutional Council having until October 26 to announce the result.
Residents in the Central African country cast only one vote at the ballot, with the person receiving the most votes going on to run the state.
If he is re-elected as the forecast suggests, it would mean Biya has extended his rule by another seven years and will be 99 years old by the time the next election swings around.
After the First World War, the country became divided between France and the UK and only declared its independence in 1960 and 1961 respectively, after which it welcomed its first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo.
After Ahidjo's resignation, Biya stepped up to the mark and has ruled the country ever since, claiming victory over seven elections.
Although a long-standing favorite, the 92-year-old's age and health could prompt some concerns at the ballot box this time around, especially since most of his governance is left to party officials and family members.
While reportedly spending a lot of time in Europe, Biya has shrugged off calls for him to step down.
"Our candidate is in great shape ... and he is capable of continuing what he has started,” Grégoire Owona, the labor minister and the ruling party’s secretary general, said to French radio RFI last month.
But Biya also has to fight off fierce competition from 11 other candidates, including some of his former government appointees and long-term allies, like Bello Bouba Maigari, who served as the minister for tourism and as Biya's first prime minister in 1982, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who was the minister of employment until recently defecting.
Political stagnation, rising unemployment, social unrest, conflicts and the cost-of-living crisis could also play out in the vote, while opposition parties have claimed the electoral commission, Elections Cameroon, has become subservient to the party.
Maurice Kamto, considered the most credible opposition candidate, has also been prohibited from running by the courts.
Yet doctor Benjamin Akih, an activist and professor at Syracuse University, told the Associated Press that he's optimistic and believes Bakary could have a strong chance at winning the vote.
“I think this election is different," he said. "Mr. Biya was the weakest candidate the CPDM could put forward on account of his age and the poor state of the country after his 43 years in power."
Despite growing speculation, Biya said he remains determined to lead again.
"In the face of increasingly difficult international environment, the challenges facing us are more and more pressing," he said while announcing his bid. "In such a situation, I cannot shirk my mission."