As Cameroon prepares for its presidential election scheduled for October 2025, influential voices across academia, civil society, and traditional institutions are urging the electorate to vote against President Paul Biya, who has held power since 1982.
In a unified public appeal, a coalition of university professors, civic activists, and traditional leaders called on Biya either to step aside voluntarily or to be decisively voted out. They argue that at 92 years of age, the president’s prolonged tenure reflects a political system incapable of responding to the country’s mounting challenges including the unresolved Anglophone crisis, deepening economic difficulties, and persistent corruption.
President Biya’s potential candidacy “symbolizes a stagnant political system ill-suited to address urgent crises such as the anglophone conflict, economic hardship, and endemic corruption,”
the coalition warned.
The appeal has intensified national discourse. While some local mayors and traditional rulers defend Biya as a figure of stability, religious leaders and reform advocates characterize another term for the president as “unrealistic” and a potential setback for democratic development.
Biya’s candidacy “threatens democratic progress,”
church leaders stated in their response to the growing political debate.
International rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, have also raised concerns about the political climate leading up to the election. They have condemned the government’s tactics, which include the arrest of opposition members and the imposition of constraints on independent political activity.
With over 65% of the population under the age of 30, Cameroon’s youth face a critical crossroads in a country where calls for renewal have been met repeatedly with resistance from entrenched political structures.
The 2025 election is widely seen as a pivotal moment — a national decision between continuing under a long-standing leadership or opening the door to political transformation and generational change.
