World’s Oldest President, Paul Biya, Sworn In For 8th Term In Cameroon

Thursday November 6, 2025
www.thenewsdesk.ng

Paul Biya, who has been president of Cameroon for 43 years, was sworn in on Thursday, November 6, for an eighth term, after a contested election that sparked mass protests and subsequent repression in which several demonstrators died.

The 92-year-old Biya, the world’s oldest head of state, won the October 12 with 53.7 percent of the vote, according to official results, against 35.2 percent for his main challenger, former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary.

He was sworn in at a ceremony in parliament in Yaounde for a new seven-year term at the helm of the central African country.

Tchiroma, a former Biya ally turned opposition figure, stirred unexpected enthusiasm among young voters eager for change and continues to insist he is the true winner of the ballot.

“There are now two presidents — the president elected by the Cameroonian people (me) and the president appointed by the Constitutional Council (whom you know),” he wrote on social media on Wednesday.

He has repeatedly urged supporters to protest against the official results, which were closer than expected.

Several people are reported to have died when security forces quashed opposition rallies just before and after Biya’s win was announced on October 27.