Cameroun: Paul Biya, chef d'Etat le plus âgé au monde, a prêté serment pour un huitième mandat
Cameroon's President Paul Biya, 92, the oldest head of state in the world, was sworn in Thursday in Yaoundé for an eighth term, following a disputed re-election that sparked violently suppressed protests.
Dressed in a simple dark suit, with his right hand raised, Mr. Biya took the oath of office during a ceremony at the National Assembly in front of, among others, the magistrates of the Constitutional Council.
"I will spare no effort to continue to be worthy of this trust," he then declared in a speech of about twenty minutes, before members of parliament, political figures and diplomats but in the absence of foreign leaders.
"I fully appreciate the gravity of the situation our country is going through. I appreciate the number and severity of the challenges we face, and I appreciate the depth of frustrations and the magnitude of expectations," he continued in this speech broadcast on national television.
President Biya was declared the winner of the October 12 presidential election with 53.66% of the vote, according to official results published by the Constitutional Council. However, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former minister who joined the opposition and who has generated unexpected enthusiasm among young people eager for change, also claims victory.
"There are now two presidents, the president elected by the Cameroonian people, which is me, and the president appointed by the Constitutional Council, which you know," Issa Tchiroma Bakary proclaimed on his social media on Wednesday.
Mr. Tchiroma has repeatedly called on his supporters to defend what he considers his victory. Sporadic and limited demonstrations—involving a few hundred young people—in several Cameroonian cities were violently suppressed after the announcement on October 27 of Mr. Biya's re-election.
The government acknowledged "loss of life" during these demonstrations without providing a toll or details of dates or locations.
The opposition leader has since called for "ghost town" operations from Monday to Wednesday, a call that met with varying degrees of support in Cameroon's major cities. The movement was widely observed in his stronghold of Garoua and in Douala, the economic capital. In Yaoundé, however, most businesses were open, children were at school, and employees were at work.
Mr. Tchiroma's current whereabouts are unknown. On Tuesday, one of his spokespeople told AFP that he was "on the move."
The government announced its intention to initiate legal proceedings against the opposition figure, denouncing in particular his "repeated calls for insurrection".
"With neither side willing to give in, the risk of the unrest escalating is high," the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned at the end of October.
In its text, the think tank relays inconsistencies in the official results, highlighted by the opposition and civil society organizations, and itself refers to "astonishing" figures.
"This conflict risks escalating in a country already shaken by a separatist rebellion in its Anglophone regions," warns ICG.
The European Union and the African Union condemned the violent crackdown by the authorities. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for an investigation.
Commentaires (6)
C'est une honte.
C'est une honte.
C'est une honte.
C'est une honte.
Un mandat de trop qu'il va essayer de gérer différemment voir même insupportable.
Û mandat de la honte pour tous les intellectuels Camerounais...mêmes les agissements de sa femme devraient les pousser à trouver une alternative à l'équipe BIYA
C'est une Afric.
C'est une Afric.
C'est une Afric.
C'est une Afric.
Mon vieux! Plutôt Mon Dieu!
J'espère seulement qu'il a pu lever la main pour prêter serment.
Lui qui a délégué sa signature il y a longtemps parce qu'il a perdu la main.
Etait-il debout, couché, assis?
Etait-il conscient d'être entrain de prêter serment une huitième fois ? Certainement pas avec son Alzheimer.
Respect à ceux qui battent tous les records de l'inimaginable...
😂
Est il conscient de ce qui se passe ?
Qui gouverne ce pays enfin de compte?
Le Cameroun, la risée du Monde !
Participer à la Discussion