Paul Biya, the 92-year-old President of Cameroon, has been officially declared the winner of the 2025 Presidential Election.
According to the results announced by The Constitutional Council, Biya secured 53.66% of the votes against Issa Tchiroma, who obtained 35.19%.
The results were officially declared on Monday, although the election held on October 12.
The nonagenarian now extends his decades-long rule and will continue to lead Cameroon for another 7 years and remains the world’s oldest serving head of state, set to govern until 2032.
Despite strong support for Tchiroma among Cameroonian diaspora communities, Biya’s domestic lead proved decisive.
Voters across Europe gave Tchiroma 62.79% of their ballots, while Biya received just 22.63%.
In the Americas, Tchiroma secured 66.75%, and in Asia and the Middle East, he earned 68.21%. Across Africa, Tchiroma also led with 54.99% of the diaspora vote, although more than half of eligible voters reportedly abstained.
The Constitutional Council emphasised that the winner is determined by the total number of votes cast across the electorate, not regional or diaspora tallies.
But Tchiroma Bakary is claiming victory. Two days after the Oct. 12 election, Tchiroma Bakary said he won, publishing a tally that said he had 54.8% of the vote. His team claimed that they collected results from 80% of the electorate.
Cameroonian human rights lawyer Nkongho Felix Agbor-Balla told The New York Times that Biya could not have won without “massive fraud.”
“This election is more of a protest vote,” he said. “People just wanted change, not just because of Biya’s age, but also because nothing is working in the country.”
Tchiroma Bakary, 76, was a Biya loyalist until June. He served as a minister in Biya’s government for years. The other candidate, Maurice Kamto, 71, was blocked from running by the electoral commission.
Biya’s victory comes amid growing calls for political transition in Cameroon, where critics have long accused the ruling party of stifling opposition and manipulating electoral processes.
However, the government maintains that the elections were free and fair.
With this win, Biya is expected to continue his leadership until the age of 99, barring any constitutional changes or unforeseen developments.
