If you’re looking up who is the president of Cameroon, you’re going to find one name that has essentially become synonymous with the country itself: Paul Biya.
Honestly, it’s a bit staggering when you look at the timeline. Biya hasn't just been in charge for a few years. He’s been the president since 1982. To put that in perspective, when he first took the oath of office, the internet didn't exist for the public, and the Soviet Union was still a global superpower. Fast forward to January 2026, and he’s still there, recently beginning yet another seven-year term after the October 2025 elections.
He's currently 92 years old.
The Man Who Never Leaves: Who is the President of Cameroon?
Paul Barthélemy Biya’a bi Mvondo was born in a small village called Mvomeka’a back in 1933. You’ve probably heard of "Lion Man"—that’s his nickname back home. He’s not just a politician; he’s the world’s oldest head of state.
After serving as Prime Minister under Cameroon's first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, Biya took over the top spot when Ahidjo resigned for health reasons. Most people thought it would be a transitional period. They were wrong. Since then, he has won election after election—1992, 1997, 2004, 2011, 2018, and most recently, the controversial 2025 vote.
💡 You might also like: Blanket Primary Explained: Why This Voting System Is So Controversial
In that October 2025 election, the Constitutional Council announced he secured about 53.7% of the vote. His main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, trailed with 35.2%. But if you talk to anyone following Central African politics, they’ll tell you it wasn’t exactly a smooth ride. Protests broke out in Yaoundé, and there were heavy allegations of fraud, which has basically become a recurring theme every time Cameroon goes to the polls.
The 2025 Election and the Current Climate
The 2025 election was supposed to be different because of Biya's age. At 92, many wondered if he’d actually run. He did. And he won.
His opponent, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, actually fled to Gambia shortly after the inauguration because of safety concerns. It’s a messy situation. While the government celebrates what they call a "testament to the country's advancing democratization," international observers and local opposition groups see a very different picture. They see a tightening grip on power and a youth population—with a median age of 19—that feels completely disconnected from a leader nearly five times their age.
Life at the Unity Palace
Biya spends a lot of his time at the Unity Palace in Yaoundé, though he’s famously known for his long "private stays" in Europe, particularly at the InterContinental Hotel in Geneva.
📖 Related: Asiana Flight 214: What Really Happened During the South Korean Air Crash in San Francisco
Critics call him the "absentee president."
Despite this, he remains a master of the internal political game. He manages a complex web of ethnic alliances and keeps the military's top brass loyal. It's a survival strategy that has worked for over four decades. Even in 2026, he’s still active enough to receive New Year wishes from the diplomatic corps and issue decrees. Just this January, he was warning about the collapse of the international system and the decline of state sovereignty during ceremonies in the capital.
The Big Challenges He's Facing Right Now
It isn't all ceremonies and speeches, though. The president of Cameroon is dealing with some massive headaches:
- The Anglophone Crisis: This is the big one. In the Northwest and Southwest regions, English-speaking separatists have been fighting the government for years. It’s a bloody, complicated conflict that started over linguistic and legal discrimination but spiraled into a quest for an independent state called Ambazonia.
- The Succession Mystery: Everyone is whispering about what happens after Biya. His son, Franck Biya, is often mentioned as a potential successor, though he hasn't officially stepped into the political arena in a big way yet.
- Boko Haram: In the Far North, the military is still tied up dealing with insurgencies and spillover violence from neighboring Nigeria.
- The Economy: Cameroon recently started applying the CEEAC common external tariff (as of January 1, 2026). It’s an attempt to integrate the regional economy, but with inflation and infrastructure gaps, the average person on the street in Douala or Bamenda isn't feeling the "construction site" promises Biya made years ago.
A Legacy of Longevity
Whether you view him as a stabilizing force or an autocrat, you can't deny his staying power. He has outlasted almost every other world leader from his era. While countries around Cameroon have seen coups and radical shifts in government, Biya’s CPDM party (Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement) has kept a firm, if controversial, hand on the wheel.
👉 See also: 2024 Presidential Election Map Live: What Most People Get Wrong
If you’re trying to keep up with what’s happening in Cameroon, here is what you should actually watch over the next few months:
- Public Appearances: Watch how often he appears in public. His health is the country's biggest "state secret," and any long absence fuels rumors.
- Regional Integration: See how the new customs tariffs affect local prices. If the 40% duty on things like cocoa powder and tobacco causes a spike in living costs, it could spark more urban unrest.
- The Anglophone Dialogue: Look for any real movement on peace talks. So far, it’s been a lot of "grand dialogues" with very little change on the ground.
- Franck Biya's Moves: Keep an eye on any appointments within the CPDM. If the "Franckists" start getting key spots, the succession plan is likely in motion.
Staying informed about the president of Cameroon means looking past the official state media reports and paying attention to the growing gap between the aging leadership and the incredibly young population they rule.
To get a deeper sense of the current situation, you should look into the specific reports from the African Union or Human Rights Watch regarding the post-2025 election protests. These sources provide a necessary counter-balance to the official government narratives coming out of Yaoundé.