Cameroon’s presidential campaign launched Sunday in the absence of 92-year-old incumbent Paul Biya, who is abroad on a “private trip,” while challengers mobilized across regions.
Cameroon’s official campaign period for the presidential election opened on Saturday, with 12 candidates—including one woman—entering the race ahead of the October 12 vote.
Notably absent from the launch was incumbent President Paul Biya, 92, Africa’s oldest serving head of state, who departed on what his office called a “private trip” to Europe a week earlier. He has not spoken to Cameroonians since July and was also missing from the United Nations General Assembly, where his foreign minister represented the country.
With Biya away, opposition candidates wasted no time gaining visibility. Joshua Osih began his campaign in Bamenda, an English-speaking region long at odds with central government; Cabral Libii rallied supporters in Douala; and Bello Bouba Maigari drew hundreds of supporters in a rally backed by former candidate Akere Muna.