Cameroonian President Paul Biya took a step toward extending his decades-long rule late last month when his party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, endorsed his bid to be its flagbearer in the country’s next presidential election. The announcement came on the heels of a vote by Cameroon’s National Assembly to extend the mandate of serving lawmakers and push back the country’s next round of municipal and parliamentary elections to 2026, one year later than the initially scheduled date.

The 91-year-old Biya, who has been president since 1982, has not publicly announced his immediate plans but is widely expected to seek reelection in the next presidential contest, which is scheduled for October 2025. If he does, there is little doubt that he will be declared the winner, given his total control of Cameroon’s political order and the historical precedent of the country’s previous presidential elections. As a result, most observers expect the contest will be little more than an academic exercise.

Nevertheless, some-including Biya’s closest political allies-are taking a longer-term view of the political landscape, which is anything but straightforward. Speculation about “life after Biya” has long been rife in Cameroon but has become more pronounced in recent years given his advanced age and unwillingness to formulate a succession plan. Biya will be 92 if the vote is held as planned next year, and a presidential term in Cameroon lasts for seven years, meaning that he will be 99 years old when his eighth stint in office comes to a close in 2032. But there is a widespread, if subtly acknowledged, consensus that Biya is unlikely to see out a full seven-year term. Accordingly, delicate but inescapable discussions about a post-Biya succession have become more common and are taking on more significance, both for Cameroon and the region, given the potential for political instability in the coming years.

The Biya administration, whose allies also control the legislature, defended the postponement of the next parliamentary and municipal elections as necessary due to financial and logistical difficulties. However, opposition groups contended that the delay was merely a ruse by Biya and his allies to maintain their grip on power, not least because the government refused to provide details about the purported financial and logistical difficulties that necessitated the delay of the legislative and municipal elections.

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