World’s oldest president sworn in for eighth term in Cameroon

Cameroon’s 92-year-old leader Paul Biya has been sworn in for another seven years as president in a ceremony at the country’s parliament in Yaoundé.

Biya won a controversial eighth term in a fiercely disputed election last month.

He has been in power for 43 years and addressed only one campaign rally before the election.

The nonagenarian, the world’s oldest head of state, won 54% of the vote, compared to the 35% of Issa Tchiroma Bakary, according to the official results. Tchiroma Bakary maintains he was the rightful winner of the poll and has accused the authorities of fraud, which they have denied.

The announcement of the result led to deadly protests across the country.

The authorities say at least four people were killed but the Reuters news agency puts the figure at 48, citing two United Nations sources.

Judges on the Constitutional Council had dismissed eight complaints about the election, citing insufficient evidence of irregularities or a lack of jurisdiction to annul results.

Earlier this week, Tchiroma Bakary’s call for a stay-at-home protest was heeded by many people, with streets deserted especially in his strongholds of Garoua and Douala.

The opposition leader was a former government information minister who broke ranks with Biya to challenge him for power.

He has refused to file an official complaint.