World’s oldest head of state, Cameroon’s 92-year-old Paul Biya, wins re-election

Cameroon’s Constitutional Council announced on Monday that President Paul Biya has been re-elected to an eighth term, which could extend his tenure in office until he reaches nearly 100 years of age.

Clement Atangana, president of the Constitutional Council, officially declared, “Hereby proclaimed President-elect: the candidate Biya Paul.” Biya, 92, has held office since 1982 and has consistently maintained a firm grasp on power, having abolished the presidential term limit in 2008 and secured re-election by substantial margins.

This year, his most significant challenge came from Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former government spokesperson and employment minister in his late 70s, who defected from Biya’s camp earlier this year and mounted a campaign that garnered considerable support from opposition parties and civic groups.

This is a developing story and will be updated.