(3 Minutes Read)
Many believe that 92-year-old Paul Biya’s election is a foregone conclusion, though he is too old and fragile and reported to be away from the country too frequently, cooling heels in healthier climes like Switzerland.
As unemployment rate escalates in the Central African country, the youth is getting increasingly frustrated. This feeling is shared by millions of Cameroonians. It is equally important that they are also disenchanted by the election process.
Many believe that 92-year-old Paul Biya’s election is a foregone conclusion, though he is too old and fragile and reported to be away from the country too frequently, cooling heels in healthier climes like Switzerland.
Biya is seeking an eighth term in a single-round election in which 8.2 million Cameroonians are registered to vote.
He became president in 1982 after the resignation of his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo and has ruled ever since, winning seven consecutive elections. Cameroon has had only two heads of state since its independence in 1960.
Young people in the country are demanding jobs. According to the World Bank, the unemployment rate stands at 3.5%, but about 57% of working-age people between 18 and 35 earn a living in the informal sector.Although Cameroon is an oil-producing country with modest economic growth, young people say the benefits go mainly to the elite.
The country is also facing several security crises. In the west, a long-running separatist conflict is being waged mainly by English speakers who say they are marginalized by the French-speaking majority. In the north, Boko Haram militants from neighboring Nigeria continue to carry out sporadic attacks in border towns.
In this election, Biya faces nine opposition candidates — some of them former allies and ministers. Among them are Issa Tchiroma Bakary, recently Minister of Employment, and Bello Bouba Maigari, a former Minister of Tourism. Another prominent opposition figure, Maurice Kamto, who came second in 2018 with 14% of the vote, has been barred from running. Some believe that a few opposition candidates are fake and they are in the fray to enhance the winnability of the incumbent President Paul Biya.
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The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) dominates parliament, holding 94 of 100 Senate seats and 152 of 180 seats in the National Assembly. Speculation about Biya’s health is frequent, as he spends much of his time in Europe, leaving day-to-day governance to party officials and family members.
