Today marks the anniversary in Cameroon as the ruling RDPC party commemorates President Paul Biya’s 41 years in power. Biya assumed the presidency on November 6, 1982, succeeding Ahamadou Ahidjo. At the age of 90, President Biya’s supporters are clamoring for him to run for re-election in the upcoming presidential election slated for 2025.
This anniversary coincides with the commencement of political maneuvering within party headquarters in preparation for the 2025 presidential election. The RDPC has launched an intensive campaign, calling upon their leader to seek another term.
On November 1, in Bafoussam in the West Region, the ruling party, under the guidance of its Secretary-General, gathered the political and administrative elite of the region, as well as its numerous financial backers from the business community. This assembly was a heartfelt demonstration of support coupled with fervent pleas for Paul Biya to run again. These “people’s” appeals will undoubtedly reverberate throughout the country today in various party-organized rallies celebrating their leader.
Both within and outside the party, some do not hide their criticisms, considering that President Biya will be 92 years old in 2025. Are these divisions within the various factions of the RDPC? Is it an inability to rejuvenate the leadership? Is it a deliberate strategy to confuse the political landscape? A party official dismisses such concerns as “ill-willed,” asserting that Paul Biya “remains the best candidate available today” and that “as long as he is here, he is here.”