Cameroon’s long-serving President Paul Biya has been re-elected for an eighth consecutive term, securing 53.7 percent of the vote, according to official results announced by the country’s Constitutional Council on Monday.

His main challenger and former government minister, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, came second with 35.2 percent, the council stated.

Tchiroma, however, had earlier declared himself the winner, claiming to have secured 54.8 percent of the votes against Biya’s 31.3 percent, and had called on his supporters to take to the streets in protest.

Tensions have remained high since the October 12 presidential election, with violent clashes erupting between opposition supporters and security forces in several parts of the country.

According to the Governor of the Littoral Region, four people were killed on Sunday in the economic capital, Douala, during confrontations between protesters and security personnel. Witnesses told AFP that security forces initially fired tear gas before using live ammunition to disperse the crowds.

Despite opposition claims and protests, most political analysts had widely predicted Biya’s victory, citing his firm grip on the political system and the absence of strong institutional checks.

The 92-year-old leader — the world’s oldest serving head of state — has ruled Cameroon since 1982, maintaining power through decades marked by political repression, economic inequality, and separatist unrest in the country’s English-speaking regions.

Biya, who succeeded Cameroon’s first post-independence president Ahmadou Ahidjo, is now set to continue his rule for another seven-year term, further extending his 43-year stay in power.

AFP