Cameroon: President Biya to Be Sworn in Thursday

By Staff Writer

YAOUNDE---Incumbent Cameroon's President Paul Biya will be sworn in on Thursday in at the National Assembly in the capital, Yaoundé,according to a statement from the President's office in Yaounde.  

Mr. Biya will begin a 6th term in office after he was declared winner of the October 9 presidential election. He will be marking his 30th year in office this week having been in power since November 6, 1982.

Having been re-elected with 77.98 per cent at the ballot, Political analyst Abgor Ambang says President Biya's longevity is partly the result of the strength of his ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) party.

Cameroon’s elections board (ELECAM) said about seven million registered to vote. They included, for the first time, citizens outside Cameroon who voted in the country’s embassies and consulates around the world.

Several opposition parties presented petitions rejecting the election result, claiming voter irregularities and fraud affected the credibility of the vote.

But Cameroon’s Supreme Court upheld Mr. Biya’s victory, saying the petitions failed to prove massive fraud or rigging.

U.S. observers reported irregularities in the vote but say they did not affect the overall outcome. Former colonial power France urged authorities to correct problems before legislative elections in March.

Biya in his new tenure will have to oversee a series of large public works projects in energy, mining, ports, and agriculture that he says will make Cameroon an emerging market economy by 2035. With the elimination of presidential term limits three years ago, Mr. Biya is eligible for re-election in 2018.