Cameroon’s Biya sworn in for 8th term

Cameroon’s longtime leader, Paul Biya, was sworn in for a new seven-year term on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

Biya was declared the winner of October 12 presidential election, which his opposition rival has described as “a constitutional coup”.

The president, Africa’s second-longest serving leader, took the oath of office during a session of Parliament in what residents describe as the heavily militarised and partially deserted capital, Yaounde.

Addressing Parliament on Thursday, the world’s oldest president promised to stay faithful to the confidence of the Cameroonian people and pledged to work for a “united, stable and prosperous” country.

There were deadly protests in several parts of Cameroon days after the presidential election, followed by a three-day lockdown this week after former minister and key contender Issa Tchiroma claimed victory and alleged vote tampering.

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The government has confirmed that at least five people were killed during the protests, although the opposition and civil society groups claim the figures are much higher.

A 40-year-old seamstress in Yaounde, Priscilla Ayimboh, said a new term for Biya is unlikely to change anything in the country.

“I’m tired of Biya’s rule and I no longer care whatever he does. It’s a pity. I wonder what will become of Cameroon in the next seven years: there are no roads, water, and jobs,” Ayimboh said.

A senior politics lecturer at Cameroon’s University of Buea, Munjah Vitalis Fagha, told AP that Biya’s inauguration was “taking place in a tense yet controlled political atmosphere, marked by deep divisions between the ruling elite and a growingly disillusioned populace”.

an24