Paul Biya Proclaimed Provisional Winner of Cameroon’s 2025 Presidential Election

Cameroon’s National Vote Counting Commission has announced that President Paul Biya emerged as the provisional winner of the 12 October 2025 presidential election, securing roughly 53 percent of the vote compared with 35 percent for his main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary.

The announcement confirms preliminary results following one of the most closely watched elections in Cameroon’s recent history. The outcome, still awaiting final certification by the Constitutional Council by 26 October, suggests that the 92-year-old leader may extend his rule further.

Biya, who first assumed power in 1982, is already one of Africa’s longest-serving incumbents. His continuation in office amid rising demand for change encapsulates both his enduring grip on Cameroon’s political system and the deepening tensions within the country.

The election unfolded against a backdrop of simmering public discontent and heightened political mobilisation. Tchiroma, a former minister and once-loyalist to Biya, surprised many by emerging as the leading opposition candidate under the Union for Change coalition. He declared victory days before the official results, citing his own data that placed him ahead of Biya.

From his stronghold in Garoua, in Cameroon’s north, Tchiroma called on the incumbent to concede, framing the vote as a mandate for generational change. “The choice of the people must be respected,” he declared, addressing the 92-year-old president.

Protests followed Tchiroma’s claims and the government’s early release of provisional figures. Demonstrations occurred in several major cities, especially in English-speaking regions long at odds with Yaoundé’s central government. Security forces intervened, and at times the scenes were tense though not as large-scale as some feared.

On the election day itself, security was tight and turnout was complicated by ongoing internal conflicts, particularly in the Anglophone regions. Voters said they wanted improvement in everyday life – jobs, infrastructure, and services – but many expressed scepticism about the independence of Cameroon’s electoral institutions.

Biya’s bid for another term comes as his health and age have drawn increased attention. While he has dominated Cameroonian politics for four decades, critics say his era has been marked by stagnation, declining public services and limited political renewal. For supporters, his leadership represents stability and continuity in a region facing insecurity from both internal separatist conflicts and Boko Haram attacks.

The provisional results indicate the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) machinery remains intact. Biya’s reported 53 percent signifies still-substantial support but less than some earlier landslide wins, reflecting arguably stronger opposition mobilisation. The vote percentage contrasts with Biya’s previous winning margin of over 70 percent in 2018.

While the result awaits formal validation, the stakes are high. A confirmed victory for Biya would extend his tenure, reinforcing a power dynamic long criticised as emblematic of Cameroon’s authoritarian drift. Conversely, if opposition-backed evidence of irregularities proves credible, it could set the stage for a contested post-election period with broader implications for Central Africa’s democratic trajectory.

Analysts say the election’s provisional outcome highlights three interlinked challenges. First, how to reconcile a dominant-party state with demands for youth-driven change. Second, how to ensure credible electoral processes in a context with militarised regions and historical exclusion of opposition candidates. Third, whether incremental reforms or deeper structural shifts will follow these polls.

For Cameroon’s citizens the message is mixed. On one hand, the process appears to have functioned within its own parameters and a count has been declared. On the other, the limited margin of Biya’s reported win and the early claims of victory by Tchiroma illustrate growing impatience with the status quo.

Regional observers will monitor the Constitutional Council’s final certification and how the government engages dissent once the term begins. Notably, a repeat of the 2018 legal crackdown on the opposition could deepen fault-lines. Civil society voices maintain that legitimacy is tied not just to winning but to handling transitions with openness and accountability.

In sum, Cameroon appears set for continuity under Paul Biya, assuming the provisional result is formalised. Yet the election itself reflects both enduring power and growing resistance. The outcome will test whether the country’s institutions and its people favour maintenance of the familiar or demand transformation.

Cameroon’s Paul Biya, 92, Declares Intent to Run for Another Term