Paul Biya sworn in for eighth term as Cameroon’s President

Cameroon’s long-serving leader, Paul Biya, has officially begun his eighth term as president after being sworn in on Thursday, extending his 43-year rule.

The 92-year-old leader, who holds the title of the world’s oldest head of state, secured victory in the October 12 election with 53.7 percent of the votes, defeating his main rival, former government minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who garnered 35.2 percent.

Biya’s re-election sparked widespread protests across the country, which were later met with a heavy security crackdown that led to the deaths of several demonstrators.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in parliament, in the capital city of Yaounde, marking the start of another seven-year term for Biya at the helm of the Central African nation.

“I will spare no effort to continue to be worthy of this trust,” Biya told the gathering attended by local political figures but no foreign leaders.

“I fully understand the gravity of the situation our country is going through. I understand the number and severity of the challenges we face and I understand the depth of frustrations and the scale of expectations,” he continued.

Tchiroma, a former Biya ally turned opposition figure, stirred unexpected enthusiasm among young voters eager for change and continues to insist he is the true winner of the ballot.

“There are now two presidents, the president elected by the Cameroonian people (me) and the president appointed by the Constitutional Council (whom you know),” he wrote on social media on Wednesday.

He has repeatedly urged supporters to protest against the official results, which were closer than expected.

Several people are reported to have died when security forces quashed opposition rallies just before and after Biya’s win was announced on October 27.

– Political standoff –

Tchiroma has since urged supporters to stage “dead city” operations, closing shops and halting other public activities.

The response in the former French colony has been mixed, with the call being widely followed in Garoua and Douala but in Yaounde most shops remained open, children were at school and employees went to work.

Tchiroma had been confined to his home in Garoua after the results were announced, but on Tuesday, one of his spokespeople told AFP that he was “on the move.”

The government has said it plans to initiate legal proceedings against the opposition leader, denouncing his “repeated calls for insurrection.”

It has acknowledged that people died in the unrest but has not provided a toll.

“With neither side willing to back down, the risks of worsening unrest are high,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank said in a report on October 29.

Both the European Union and the African Union have condemned the authorities’ violent crackdown on protests, while the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an investigation.

Biya is only the second person to lead Cameroon since independence from France in 1960.

He has ruled with an iron fist, repressing all political and armed opposition, and holding onto power in the face of social upheaval, economic inequality and separatist violence.

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