President Paul Biya Of Cameroon Seeks Seventh Term In Office

President Paul Biya of Cameroon (Photo File)

85-Year Old President Paul Biya Of Cameroon Seeks Seventh Term In Office.

President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, in a bid for re-election in October has said he is aiming to extend his 36-year rule and maintain his place on a shortening roster of long-standing African leaders.

The 85 year Old Biya, who came to power in 1982 when his predecessor retired would be serving a seventh term in office if elected in October 7

It would leave him in rare company after former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh were ousted in 2017.

Of Africa’s living rulers, only Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled uninterrupted for longer.

“I am willing to respond positively to your overwhelming calls. I will stand as Your Candidate in the upcoming presidential election,” Biya said in a a tweet today

Biya, who has ruled virtually by decree since taking office, scrapped term limits from the constitution in 2008, allowing him to run again and sparking riots in which over 40 people were killed.

The election, scheduled on Oct. 7, comes at a turbulent time for the Central African country and for Biya.

A separatist insurgency in the western English-speaking regions has killed 84 troops in September 2018, while a drop in the price of its key cocoa and oil exports has weighed on the economy.

See Tweet:

Chers Compatriotes du Cameroun et de la Diaspora
Conscient des défis que nous devons ensemble
relever pour un Cameroun encore plus uni, stable et prospère,
j’accepte de répondre favorablement à vos appels pressants.
Je serai Votre Candidat à la prochaine élection présidentielle. pic.twitter.com/1q6lZI2P7r

— President Paul BIYA (@PR_Paul_BIYA) July 13, 2018