By Rachel Mohamed
Cameroonians will vote in the upcoming presidential election on October 12th. The 92-year-old Paul Biya, who has been in office for more than four decades, nearly 43 years, is expected to run as a candidate for an eighth term. He is one of the world’s longest-serving leaders and has been accused of corruption and electoral irregularities.
Dr. Paul Kariuki, Executive Director of the Democracy Development Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Convener of the Africa Policy Circle (APC), spoke with VOC News about the elections.
“Yes, the country has been divided into two since gaining independence in 1962,” said Kariuki
Furthermore, Dr. Kariuki emphasized that under Biya’s leadership, the country has experienced political turmoil and a lack of transformation.
“But what has not happened sufficiently is trying to bring the nation together so that the two divisions that merely demarcated the country are healed because they are also translated into the political upheaval that the country has been experiencing for some time, and you can see the root of such a delayed transformative process; it’s because of a political leadership that is not interested in mending relationships within the country and, more importantly, not letting it go so that others can participate in rebuilding the new Cameroon.”
VOC News
Photo: Paul Biya/Facebook
