Putin And Lukashenko Have An Unexpected Rival

• 15.07.2025, 8:00

The challenge came from an elderly dictator from Cameroon.

Some dictators are willing to "hold on to power with blue fingers" even after decades in power.

Lukashenko and Putin are prime examples, but they too are far from an unqualified record.

The 92-year-old ruler of Cameroon, Paul Biya, has again announced his intention to run for another election despite his advanced age and criticism. He has led the country for more than 40 years and is seeking an eighth term, which would allow him to remain in power until he is almost a hundred years old, writes Reuters.

Cameroon has effectively been ruled by only two presidents since independence in the 1960s, and the lack of a clear procedure for transferring power poses risks of a major crisis in the event of Biya's illness or death.

To guarantee himself rule for life, Paul Biya initiated a constitutional change in 2008 that removed limits on the number of presidential terms.

Despite numerous allegations of corruption, electoral fraud and repression of the opposition, Biya has repeatedly "won" the "election".

The current term will last until 2032, and any talk of the dictator's health is officially banned as a "threat to national security".