Cameroon: president biya’s extended absence fuels power vacuum debate

Paul Biya, who has governed Cameroon since 1982, holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest head of state at 93 years old. He has now been absent from Cameroonian soil for 48 days, having departed on June 7 for what an official statement described as a “short private stay in Europe,” accompanied by his wife, Chantal Biya.

President Biya’s health is a frequent subject of speculation, particularly given his regular visits to Geneva. These rumors are often swiftly refuted by the government.

For instance, on June 18, Minister of Communication René Emmanuel Sadi issued a statement directly contradicting media reports that the Cameroonian leader had been hospitalized in a Geneva clinic.

The opposition in Cameroon views the president’s extended absence as evidence of a “glaring institutional void,” a sentiment articulated by Mamadou Mota, Vice-President of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), in a recent social media post.

“Automatic piloting”

Mid-July, Patricia Tomaïno Ndam Njoya, President of the Democratic Union of Cameroon (UDC), urged the government to establish an “impartial procedure for determining temporary or definitive impediment” of the head of state.

However, James Fame Ndongo, a senior figure in the presidential party and Minister of Higher Education, dismissed allegations of a power vacuum. He maintained that “wherever he is, the head of state meticulously follows the files submitted to him by his collaborators.”

Discussions surrounding a potential power vacuum in Cameroon are not new. The most recent instance occurred in late 2024, when President Biya spent approximately 50 days outside the country.

Another opposition party, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), ironically declared that the nation was operating on “automatic pilot” last Friday.

These frequent absences, a pattern observed for over two decades, consistently fuel frustration among many Cameroonians regarding perceived governmental inertia. Viviane Ondoua Biwolé, a professor of public management at the University of Yaoundé, noted that “people are already exhausted from waiting.”

She elaborated, explaining that this weariness stems from the current government’s record eight-year tenure and the aftermath of a recent election with “very mixed results.” Many citizens, she added, believe that an election should usher in a period of renewal.

President Biya’s re-election to an eighth term in October 2025 was met with protests that were violently suppressed, with the government acknowledging “several dozens” of deaths without providing an exact toll.

The opposition contested the election results, which also drew a degree of reserve from Western diplomatic missions.

Two months later, in his address to the Nation on December 31, President Biya had assured the public that he would form a new government team “in the coming days.”

However, seven months have passed, and the new government he announced has yet to be formed. This delay is compounded by multiple postponements of municipal and legislative elections, indefinitely extending the mandates of current officeholders.

After-Biya

Despite these issues, the Cameroonian government has recently initiated some institutional changes. This included replacing the presidents of both parliamentary chambers in March, followed by the creation of a vice-presidential post through a constitutional reform in early May.

Yet, nearly three months after the reform, no vice-president has been appointed. This ongoing delay has inevitably fueled further speculation.

In June, an individual appeared at the public radio headquarters in Yaoundé, attempting to present a document purported to be a presidential decree appointing the Vice-President of the Republic.

While the forged document bore presidential seals and a signature attributed to President Biya, vigilant journalists did not disseminate it, though the incident still contributed to the ongoing rumors.

These institutional maneuvers only intensify speculation about the post-Biya era and appear to accelerate the race for his succession, which remains shrouded in uncertainty.

Professor Ondoua Biwolé contends that “there is a more or less visible crisis at the top of the state among the president’s close associates.”

This assessment is corroborated by political scientist Stéphane Akoa, who confirms that “increasing indiscretions report quarrels among the different clans in his entourage.”

Behind one of these “clans,” the influence of Chantal Biya, the First Lady, is increasingly apparent. Mr. Akoa observes her “increasing presence in state affairs,” noting that “her name is often cited in decision-making and top appointments within the state.”

As long as a vice-president remains unappointed, the responsibility falls to Senate President Aboubakary Abdoulaye to assume interim leadership in the event of a power vacuum, pending the organization of a presidential election.