President Biya is sworn in for his sixth term in office
November 1, 2011
Incumbent President Paul Biya is officially being sworn in for yet another term as the leader of Cameroon today. This will be his sixth term in office after he altered the nation's constitutional limitation for leaders to remain in power. President Biya has been Cameroon's leader since 1982.
While many of Biya's 22 opponents have claimed that fraudulent behavior took place during the elections, others say that he won so easily because everyone expected him to do so. As such, voter turnout was much lower than expected, according to Voice of America News. However, many people who are living and working outside the country were able to make calls to Cameroon to cast their votes for the first time during a presidential election.
"We are very much delighted for having been part of the process which led to his re-election," Information Minister Issa Tchiroma told the news source. "We are ready to come together in order to be behind the head of state and help him translate his vision into reality."
Reuters reports that last week, President Biya promised that during the new term he will concentrate his efforts on creating more jobs for the Cameroonian youth, which will help to fuel his goal of turning the nation into an emerging world power.