Cameroon’s President Paul Biya announced that the country will hold its delayed legislative and local elections on February 7, 2025. The decree, read on public radio, comes after two postponements that extended lawmakers’ terms to December 20, 2024, and municipal councillors’ terms to February 28, 2027.
Bi, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, is the world’s oldest head of state. His re‑election in October 2023 sparked widespread protests that were met with a violent crackdown. Human Rights Watch lawyers reported that security forces detained up to 2,000 people, many of whom remain in custody, according to AFP.
The announcement follows a tense political climate. The government has suspended the Cameroon National Salvation Front, the party of former opposition presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who fled to the Gambia after declaring himself the election winner and urging supporters to defend his “victory.”
Questions about Biya’s health have persisted, especially after his frequent stays abroad. Media debate about his health was banned in 2024 amid rumors of his death. The president returned to Yaounde from Geneva in late August, drawing sharp criticism from the opposition.
Bi’s government also awaits a government reshuffle and the appointment of a vice president, a post reintroduced in April 2024 that would succeed him upon his death.
Source: Al Jazeera
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