Cameroon is a nation steeped in political history, so the question of President Paul Biya’s potential reelection in 2025 resonates loudly.
With only two presidents since independence in 1961, Biya has served at the helm for 41 years, marked by mixed impressions.
Among his party militants, support for the president’s reelection is resounding as the ruling CPDM party celebrates its 39th anniversary.
But many ordinary citizens have contrary sentiments and President Biya is to step down when his current mandate expires in November 2025.
“Honestly I do not know why youths, whom we are told are the majority, have not found a youth worthy to replace the head of State,” said a resident of Bamenda, Chief town of the North West Region.
Another concerned citizen said, “I think he has played his role in building Cameroon, it’s time to rest despite repeated calls.”
Biya did not win any elections to become president in 1982, yet, he has remained a stalwart figure, both as the chairman of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement since 1985 and as the party’s natural candidate in every subsequent presidential election.
When he took power, the presidential term was five years, renewable once. But he proceeded to extend the term to seven years, renewable indefinitely.
This year, as the CPDM celebrated its 39th anniversary on March 24, a groundswell of support for Biya’s reelection emerged from various corners of the country.
In Bamenda, influential CPDM members advocated for an early election to showcase solidarity with Biya, touting him as a symbol of peace during tumultuous times marked by conflicts and economic challenges.
“We have a right to make a suggestion, and the earlier the better. We are only making a suggestion, the head of state will decide on his own,” said former Prime Minister Philemon Yang, leader of the North West CPDM Permanent Regional Delegation.
Further afield, in Menchum II, Hon. Kum John Nji is vocal about Biya’s potential reelection, emphasizing the benefits it could bring to youth political appointments.
Meanwhile, CPDM members in Buea, South West Region, pledge unwavering allegiance to “our natural candidate,” President Paul Biya, as expressed by CPDM Fako III Section President, David Mafany Namange.
From the West region to the Far North, Center, South, and East, the chorus urging Biya to extend his presidency grows louder by the day.
The looming question persists: will President Biya heed the calls for reelection and continuity, or is it time for Cameroon to embark on a new chapter of leadership?
At the age of 91, Paul Biya holds the distinction of being the second-longest-ruling president in Africa, after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodora Obiang Nguema.
Biya is the world’s longest-serving current non-royal national leader, and the oldest head of state globally.
As 2025 draws near, the nation waits with bated breath, eager to see what lies ahead for Cameroon’s political landscape. Only time will reveal the answer to this pivotal question.
