President Paul Biya and his supporters are holding events this week in preparation for the Cameroonian leader’s 40th year in power on Sunday.
According to Voice of America, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) dispatched party officials to towns and villages on Thursday to organize conferences and rally support for Mr Biya.
Cameroon celebrated Mr Biya’s 89th birthday in February, making him Africa’s oldest and second longest-serving leader after Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has been in power since 1979. Because Mr. Biya lives in Switzerland, these festivities were held in his absence.
Mr. Biya took over as president of Cameroon in 1982, succeeding the country’s first president, Ahmadou Ahijo. Mr. Biya has served as Prime Minister since 1975. Despite opposition party accusations of heavy election rigging, he has won all multiparty elections since 1992.
Mr. Biya announced his intention to abolish the two-term limit in 2007. Protests against his decision were held in February 2008, with hundreds of protesters killed and thousands arrested.
The National Assembly voted on the constitutional revision in 2008, and Mr Biya was re-elected with 78% of the vote in 2011.
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