Paul Biya will seek reelection in Cameroon’s presidential election on October 12, 2025. He announced his candidacy on Sunday, July 13, via his official social media accounts. In a solemn message, the Head of State declared, "I am a candidate for the 12 October 2025 presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you is commensurate with the serious challenges facing us. Together, there are no challenges we cannot meet. The best is still to come."
This statement came two days after a presidential decree on July 11 convened the electorate. From that date, candidates have 10 days to submit their applications to Elections Cameroon (Elecam), the body responsible for organizing the vote.
While Paul Biya’s candidacy is not a surprise, the political context is less favorable than in 2018. The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) enters this election without two of its historic allies, Bello Bouba Maïgari’s UNDP and Issa Tchiroma Bakary’s FSNC.
Both leaders recently left the government and publicly distanced themselves from the outgoing president. This rupture alters the political landscape, especially in the Northern, Adamawa, and Far North regions, which are strongholds of these former partners. Now facing the election alone, the CPDM's electoral base is numerically weakened, while the opposition, despite internal divisions, is attempting to unite around a single candidate.
The persistence of the Anglophone conflict further adds to the challenge, as secessionist ambitions continue to fuel instability in the Northwest and Southwest regions.
Master of the Game
At 92, Paul Biya may be entering his final major political battle. He still controls the state apparatus and remains the master of the game after 43 years in power. Despite political tremors, since 1982, he has concentrated most executive powers in a hyper-presidential system. He simultaneously serves as Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President of the Higher Judicial Council, and President of the CPDM.
Political scientist Fred Ebongue Makolle summarized the situation with a striking phrase, stating, "Paul Biya is a republican monarch."
The CPDM maintains overwhelming dominance across all national institutions, holding 152 out of 180 seats in the National Assembly, 87 out of 100 senators, control over 316 of the country’s 360 municipalities, and nine out of 10 regional councils. This near-total grip remains the outgoing president’s key advantage in his bid for another term.
Beyond the candidacy declaration, Biya’s message aligns with a logic of continuity. He presents himself as the guarantor of national unity and stability, while expressing his intention to support youth and women, whom he describes as "bearers of the future."
However, this message of commitment struggles to mask a growing crisis of confidence. Among parts of the public, fatigue with the current administration is palpable. Internal tensions within the CPDM, corruption scandals, problems with local governance, and the rising cost of living all contribute to latent discontent, particularly among younger generations, some of whom are calling for political change.
In 2018, Paul Biya’s re-election was hardly in doubt. In 2025, the outcome is less predictable. His candidacy remains formidable, anchored in experience, symbolism, and institutional control, but the political environment has shifted.
The opposition could capitalize on the fragmentation of the presidential majority, mounting social frustrations, and local leadership rivalries to achieve a historic breakthrough. As for the RDPC, it appears increasingly vulnerable, not so much due to outside challengers, but because of internal tensions gradually undermining the foundation of the regime.
Baudouin Enama