Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state at 92, has announced he will run in this year’s presidential election in October.

“I am a candidate in the presidential election. Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face,” he posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday.

A new term would keep Biya in office until he is nearly 100. He came to power more than four decades ago in 1982, when his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned. The country has had only two presidents since its independence from France and the United Kingdom in the early 1960s.

Biya scrapped presidential term limits in 2008, clearing the way for him to run indefinitely. He won the 2018 election with 71.28 percent of the vote, although opposition parties alleged there were widespread electoral irregularities.

His re-election bid had been widely anticipated, although his age and health are the subject of frequent speculation and criticism.

Biya also used social media to announce his candidacy for 2018’s presidential contest, in a rare show of direct engagement with the public on social media.

In his recent post, Biya described an “increasingly restrictive international environment” and acute challenges for Cameroon, adding that he had decided to “respond favourably to the urgent calls coming from the 10 regions of our country and from the diaspora” to stand for election.

Members of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) and other supporters have publicly called for Biya to seek another term since last year.

Grégoire Owona, deputy secretary-general of the CPDM, told RFI: “At the party level, we had no doubts about this candidacy.”

However, two former allies have quit the ruling coalition and announced their own plans to run in the election.

Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, left the government before declaring his presidential candidacy under the banner of his party, the FSNC.

Bello Bouba Maïgari, a minister of state and former prime minister – and a long-standing ally of Biya’s for nearly 30 years – also declared his candidacy.

Opposition parties and some civil society groups argue that Biya’s long rule has stifled economic and democratic development. The opposition remains deeply divided however, and is struggling to unite behind a single candidate.

Maurice Kamto, Biya’s fiercest opponent of Biya, who came second in the 2018 presidential election, and Cabral Libii, a prominent opposition figure, are already in the running for the presidency.

Sunday’s announcement has revived the debate over Biya’s fitness for office. He seldom makes public appearances, often delegating responsibilities to the chief of staff of the president’s office.

Last October, he left Cameroon for 42 days with no explanation, sparking speculation that he was unwell. The government responded by banning any discussion on his health, saying it was a matter of national security.

Under Biya’s rule, Cameroon has faced economic challenges and insecurity on several fronts, including a drawn-out separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and ongoing incursions from the armed Islamist group Boko Haram in the north.

The date of the presidential election was set for 12 October last Friday by the head of state himself. Candidates have until 21 July to declare their intention to run.

(with newswires)