A Cameroonian politician serving as the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982. sub-Saharan Africa’s oldest leader, has easily won a seventh term, according to the Constitutional Council.
Biya, 85, won 71.3 percent of the October 7 vote, far ahead of opposition candidate Maurice Kamto’s 14.2 percent, council president Clement Atangana said, announcing the official results in a state television broadcast.
The council, which was appointed by Biya, rejected all 18 legal challenges to the election and defended the process.
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has been re-elected for a seventh term, he has been in power for 36-years, he will lead the country for another 7 years. Biya will be 92 at the end of the term pic.twitter.com/Q20Yoef6Fa
— African Curators (@AfricanCurators) October 22, 2018
“The election was free, fair and credible in spite of the security challenges in the English-speaking regions,” Atangana said
The October 7 election had very low turnout in English-speaking regions after more than 200,000 fled fighting between Anglophone separatists and security forces.
Political tension has been high in the two weeks since the vote, as Kamto claimed victory based on his own campaign’s figures, leading the ruling party to brand him an outlaw.
On Sunday, an opposition march in Douala to protest electoral “fraud” was banned and around 30 people were arrested, AFP reported.
Major cities saw heavy troop deployment on Monday as the government banned all opposition rallies.
The widely-expected victory extends Biya’s 36-year rule and could see him remain in power until at least the age of 92.
It is not all celebrations as twitter users have expressed concerns and disappointment over his extended leadership making him one of the oldest sitting presidents
I guess the US ambassador to Cameroon said the same thing – but when Paul Biya rigged elections the 7th time, he kept quiet.
If you as a Nigerian place any value on this man’s words, you are very naive.
This fight is your’s alone, nobody in US cares.
Get your PVCs & vote. https://t.co/2pTkJDIOic
— Onye Nkuzi (@cchukudebelu) October 23, 2018
Paul Biya – President of Cameroon since 1982
Yoweri Museveni – President of Uganda since 1986
Pierre Nkurunziza – President of Burundi since 2005
You see that we have a big problem to tackle in Africa?
— Wale Adetona (@iSlimfit) October 22, 2018
After 1 week of doctoring results, the EC as expected declared 85 years old Paul Biya winner of his 7th 7 years term with 71% of the results. Now the absentee President can move back to Switzerland for 7 years. Has @KagutaMuseveni
Congratulated him? #Cameroon pic.twitter.com/ARIJmABZz5— Harold Kaija (@kaijaharold) October 22, 2018