Biya’s second ally from Cameroon is running for president

Longtime President Paul Biya has not yet declared if he intends to compete for reelection, and Bello Bouba Maigari, the minister of tourism for Cameroon, has accepted his party’s nomination to run for president in the anticipated October election.

WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL

Maigari, a 78-year-old former prime minister, has been a devoted supporter of President Biya for over three decades. He did not leave his ministerial position, but he did accept the nomination of the National Union for Democracy and Progress on Saturday.

He is the second northern Cameroonian government minister to declare his intention to run for president in as many days, suggesting that the strategic partnership between Biya’s central government and powerful northern elites may be eroding.

OVERVIEW

At 92, Biya has been in office since 1982, making him the oldest head of state in history. He has not stated if he intends to seek reelection.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a fellow Northerner and former government spokesperson, resigned from the administration last week and declared his candidacy, citing popular calls for change, ahead of Maigari’s declaration.

With more than 2 million voters, the three provinces of Adamawa, North, and Far North in northern Cameroon have a substantial electoral influence.

BY THE DATA

According to preliminary figures released by the election commission, almost 8 million Cameroonians have registered to vote in the roughly 30 million-person Central African country that produces cocoa and oil.