/ Source: The Associated Press
By The Associated Press
Cameroon — President Paul Biya returned Thursday to Cameroon after staying abroad for more than two months, which had raised concerns about the 93-year-old leader’s health and a possible power vacuum in the Central African country
Biya arrived at the international airport in the capital, Yaoundé, aboard a flight from Geneva, Switzerland, after more than 10 weeks away
The world’s oldest president, who has led Cameroon since 1982, began his eighth term in office in November after winning a widely disputed election in October
Biya had left the country on June 7 for what his office described as “a brief private stay in Europe,” but it became the longest recorded absence of his presidency
The health of the president has long been a topic of speculation as he spends significant time in Europe, including France and Switzerland, where he often spends weeks while leaving governance to key party officials and family members
Cameroon’s constitution does not specifically prohibit a president from leaving the country for months. But without a vice president, an appointment Biya has full control over, the opposition has described the country as being run on “autopilot.”
Biya’s close collaborators were at the airport on Thursday, but he was not shown descending from the plane and held no briefings. He was seen waving to supporters from his vehicle
The results of Biya’s nearly half-century in power have been mixed. Armed insurgencies by Boko Haram in the north and separatists in the west, along with a stagnant economy, have left many young people disillusioned with the leader
The president’s reelection last year set off widespread protests that left at least 16 people dead, according to government figures, signaling significant tensions between the mostly young population and its aging leader
After a 2008 constitutional amendment abolished term limits, Biya has now led Cameroon longer than most of its citizens have been alive: More than 70% of the country’s population of nearly 30 million people is below the age of 35
In April, Cameroon’s parliament reinstated the vice president’s post, a move criticized by the opposition as a power grab because Biya can appoint and dismiss the deputy at will and determine which powers the office can exercise
