Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon, made his first big campaign event on Monday. He is running for an eighth consecutive term as the world’s oldest head of state.
Five days before the election, Biya, who is 92 years old and has been in power since 1982, spoke to supporters in a stadium in Maroua, in the Far North area, according to AFP.
This was the first time he had been seen in public since May of this year.
He told the throng of several hundred supporters from the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, “My determination to serve you remains intact.”
“I ask you again for your valuable help.”
His 25-minute speech was mostly about young people, women, and infrastructure.
“My goal is for every young person, no matter where they live, to be able to easily find work or start their own business.” He remarked, “No young person, whether they have graduated or not, will be left behind.”
The organizers announced that about 25,000 people were going to the rally, but our reporters who were there said that only a few hundred turned up.
Maroua, a city on the border of Nigeria and Chad, is a crucial political battleground with 1.22 million registered voters. However, it is often attacked by the extremist group Boko Haram.
Maurice Kamto, an opposition candidate whose nomination was turned down in August, has asked electors to “vote freely” after talks for a unified opposition candidate fell down.
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