Cameroon: Presidential election set for October 12

Cameroon will hold presidential election on October 12, according to a decree signed by President Paul Biya on Friday.

The vote will determine who will lead this cocoa- and oil-producing nation of nearly 30 million people for the next seven years.

Presidential candidates must submit their applications within 10 days of the electoral college being convened, according to the electoral code.

Biya, the world's oldest sitting head of state at 92, has been in power for more than 40 years, having assumed the presidency in 1982. He has not indicated whether he intends to seek re-election.

In 2018, he cruised to victory with over 70% of the vote in an election marred by irregularities and low turnout due to ongoing separatist and jihadist violence.

A constitutional reform in 2008 removed the presidential term limit, allowing him to run for an indefinite number of terms.

He is frequently sick and abroad, and last year, a rumor spread that he had died, prompting the government to publicly deny the rumors.

His main opponent is Maurice Kamto, who has been traversing the country despite frequent police intimidation. The most recent incident occurred when he had just returned from campaigning abroad in Europe, where hundreds of police officers blocked him from leaving the party headquarters to hold a series of rallies in Douala.

The upcoming election, however, could mark a turning point for a country that has only ever seen two presidents, one from the Christian south and one from the Muslim north.