YAOUNDE: Cameroon voted in an election Sunday that could see Africa’s oldest leader extend his rule by another seven years.
Analysts have predicted a victory for President Paul Biya. Now 92, he would be 99 by the time his term finishes. He first came to power in 1982 following the resignation of Cameroon’s first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, and has ruled the country since then. Biya was declared the winner of seven subsequent elections. Cameroon has seen just two leaders since independence in 1960.
His health has routinely been a topic of speculation as he spends most of his time in Europe, leaving day-to-day governing to key party officials and family members.
“In the face of increasingly difficult international environment, the challenges facing us are more and more pressing,” Biya said in announcing another run. “In such a situation, I cannot shirk my mission.”
Biya faces nine opposition candidates, including some former allies and appointees. They include Bello Bouba Maigari, who was minister for tourism, and Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who until recently served as the minister of employment.
Biya voted at a primary school in the capital Yaounde, telling reporters that he wouldn’t comment on his plans until the results were in.
There is a single round of voting in Cameroon and whoever gets the most votes is the winner.
Cheukam Ginette, a 34-year-old environmentalist and first-time voter, said she won’t choose Biya.
“Things have to change. First of all, life is expensive, getting medical care is not easy,” she said outside of a polling station in Yaounde. “There are no roads, we have potholes everywhere. Everything is ruined. That’s why I voted for the opposition. I do not have confidence in the electoral process because we know our country but I’m hopeful.”
At a campaign rally last week in the northern city of Maroua, Biya promised change for one of Cameroon’s poorest areas. The predominantly Muslim north accounts for nearly 20 percent of the eligible voters, and Maigari and Bakary command strong followings there.
Cameroon faces escalating security crises. In the western region, a secessionist war is being fought between mainly English-speaking separatists who claim they are marginalized by the French-speaking majority, and government forces. In the north, the Boko Haram insurgency spills over from neighboring Nigeria, with armed groups routinely attacking border towns.
At least 43 percent of the population live in poverty as measured by core living standards such as income, education and health, according to UN estimates.
Around 8 million voters, including over 34,000 overseas, are eligible to vote at more than 31,000 polling stations in the Central African nation. Cameroon has a population of over 29 million people, a majority overwhelmingly young.
Polls are expected to close at 6 p.m. and the results are expected at the latest by Oct. 26.
World’s oldest president could extend his rule as Cameroon votes in an election
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World’s oldest president could extend his rule as Cameroon votes in an election
- Analysts have predicted a victory for President Paul Biya. Now 92, he would be 99 by the time his term finishes
- Around 8 million voters, including over 34,000 overseas, are eligible to vote at more than 31,000 polling stations
Trump tariff rollback offers relief for Indian farmers
- Indian exporters had been hit harder than EU rivals among others
- Coffee, spices and tea among exempt products
NEW DELHI: Indian agricultural exporters are among the winners from US President Donald Trump’s exemption of dozens of food items from his reciprocal tariffs regime, which some analysts say could help to revive lost demand.
Trump on Friday removed tariffs he had imposed on more than 200 food products, including beef, as consumer concerns mount over rising US grocery prices.
Unlike EU and Vietnamese suppliers facing 15–20 percent duties, Indian exporters of tea, coffee, spices and cashew nuts were hit harder after Trump doubled tariffs to as high as 50 percent on imports of certain Indian goods, including a punitive 25 percent levy from the end of August on India’s Russian oil purchases.
Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), says that between $2.5 billion and $3 billion of exports will benefit from the tariff exemptions.
Positive signal for wider trade talks
“This order opens space for premium, speciality and value-added products,” he said. “Exporters who shift toward higher-value segments will be better protected from price pressures and can tap rising consumer demand.”
Officials involved in trade and farm export policy said the exemptions are also a positive signal for ongoing US–India trade talks and could ease export pressure triggered by this year’s tariff increases.
Exports of Indian goods to the US fell nearly 12 percent year on year in September to $5.43 billion after tariffs were raised. Indian farm exports, estimated to account for $5.7 billion of the country’s $87 billion exports to the US in 2024, were among those hit.
“The move benefits Indian farmers and exporters of tea, coffee, cashew and fruits and vegetables,” a senior official involved in Indian farm export policy said on condition of anonymity.
Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative lobby group, said India’s US-bound farm exports — focused on a few high-value spices and niche products — would register limited gains given its weak presence in key exempt items such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, bananas and fruit juices.
“The tariff shift would marginally strengthen India’s position in spices and niche horticulture and help revive some lost US demand after the tariff hikes,” Srivastava added.
Latin American, African and ASEAN suppliers are likely to make larger gains, he said, adding that it was not immediately clear whether Indian exports will be exempt from 25 percent reciprocal tariffs or full 50 percent tariffs.
Exporters, however, fear that other factors will keep potential gains in check, pointing to high freight costs, strong competition from Vietnam and Indonesia and tougher US quality requirements.
“Tariff relief is important, but market recovery also depends on logistics and our ability to match prices,” one exporter said.
