Cameroon’s 92-year-old President, Paul Biya, on Tuesday, made a rare public appearance as he attended his first campaign rally ahead of Sunday’s presidential election, where he is seeking to extend his 42-year rule with an eighth term in office.
Biya, the world’s oldest sitting head of state, addressed a cheering crowd at a stadium in Maroua, capital of the Far North Region, promising to tackle insecurity, youth unemployment, and poor infrastructure in the impoverished and insurgency-hit area, according to ABC News.
“I am well aware of the problems that concern you, I know the unfulfilled expectations that make you doubt the future. Based on my own experience, I can assure you that these problems are not insurmountable,” he said in his speech.
The Far North, a predominantly Muslim region and one of Cameroon’s poorest, has suffered years of attacks and kidnappings by the extremist group Boko Haram.
The area also holds significant electoral weight, accounting for nearly 20% of the country’s 8.2 million eligible voters.
Two of Biya’s main challengers in the October 13 vote, Bello Bouba Maigari and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, are former allies of the president who also draw support from the Far North.
Tuesday’s outing was Biya’s first major public appearance since the campaign began. His visibility has been limited, and he recently returned from a weeklong stay in Switzerland, a destination he frequently visits for what officials describe as “private trips”. However, sources say they often involve medical treatment.
Critics say Biya’s advanced age and prolonged absences from the country have raised serious concerns about his ability to govern effectively.
Under Biya’s decades-long rule, the Central African nation of nearly 30 million people has faced deep-seated challenges, from corruption and underdevelopment to a violent secessionist conflict in the Anglophone regions of the west.
Despite its rich oil and mineral resources, about 43% of Cameroonians live in poverty, according to U.N. estimates.
Observers say Biya remains the overwhelming favorite to win Sunday’s vote, especially after the electoral commission disqualified his main rival, Maurice Kamto, in August.
The opposition remains fragmented and largely powerless in the face of Biya’s political machine, which controls state institutions and the electoral process.
Allegations of fraud, intimidation, and manipulation have marred Cameroon’s past elections.
Many members of the election management body, ELECAM, have previously served under Biya’s government, fueling concerns about transparency and impartiality.
Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982, surviving attempted coups, opposition protests, and mounting calls for democratic reform. In 2008, he engineered a constitutional amendment to remove presidential term limits, which cleared the way for his seemingly endless tenure.