Paul Biya wins seventh term as Cameroon’s president, garnering more than 71 per cent of the vote

Africa’s oldest president, Cameroon’s Paul Biya, easily won a seventh term on Monday after a Constitutional Council he appointed rejected all legal challenges to the election.

Now analysts say the country faces further turmoil if Biya, who will be 92 when the new seven-year term ends, does not start preparing Cameroon for life without him after decades in power. Major cities saw heavy deployment of troops ahead of the election announcement as the government banned all opposition rallies.

Biya won with more than 71 per cent of the vote, far ahead of Maurice Kamto’s 14 per cent.

The October 7 election saw few voters in English-speaking regions after nearly a quarter-million people fled unrest by anglophone separatists. The turnout in the Southwest was 15 per cent and in the Northwest, 5 per cent, while Biya won in both regions with more than 77 per cent of the vote. The overall election turnout was 53 per cent.

Fighting between the separatists’ ragtag bands and security forces accused by rights groups of abuses has killed hundreds and posed a serious challenge for Cameroon, a close US security ally against extremism and a new member of the UN Human Rights Council.

The low turnout means a weaker mandate for the 85-year-old Biya, who has led since 1982. The government did away with presidential term limits several years ago, part of a trend in Central Africa that has dismayed many.