Cameroon’s Constitutional Council has declared Paul Biya winner of the country’s presidential election, extending his decades-long rule until 2032.
Gatekeepers News reports that the victory secures Biya an eighth consecutive term in office and maintains his position as the world’s oldest serving head of state.
Official results released on Monday showed Biya clinched 53.66 percent of the votes, while his closest rival, Issa Tchiroma, garnered 35.19 percent.
Tchiroma, 76, a former government spokesperson under Biya, had previously claimed victory and urged citizens to reject the alleged falsified and distorted results.
At least four people had lost their lives in Douala following violent clashes between police and opposition demonstrators ahead of the announcement of the presidential election results.
Hundreds of protesters on Sunday, took to the streets, erecting barricades and setting tyres ablaze as tensions mounted over the October 12 polls. Disturbances were also recorded near Douala Airport and in the New Bell district.
The 92-year-old president who assumed power in 1982, is now set to remain in office until nearly the age of 100.
He is currently the world’s second-longest-serving president, surpassed only by Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, who has been in power since 1979.
