Cameroon revives a vice-presidency at 93, fuelling a dynastic-succession row
Parliament restores a post scrapped in 1972; reports that Biya named son Franck VP are claimed by some outlets and denied by the government
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Summary
Cameroon's National Assembly amended the constitution in April 2026 to restore a vice-presidency abolished in 1972, in a joint sitting passed 200–18 with four abstentions and a Social Democratic Front boycott (Who Decides). Under the new text the VP automatically assumes the presidency on the incumbent's death, resignation or incapacity. President Paul Biya, 93, in power since November 1982 and the world's oldest head of state, is widely reported to be sealing a succession. Several diaspora and pan-African outlets reported a 4 April decree naming his son Franck Biya as VP and armed-forces figure; Cameroon's government denied it and TheCable found no official decree (What They're Not Saying). Biya, re-sworn for an eighth term in 2025 amid health rumours, banned discussion of his health in 2024 on national-security grounds.
By the numbers
- 93, Biya's age; world's oldest head of state.
- 1982, year Biya took power; longest-serving non-royal current leader.
- 1972, last year the VP post existed before this revival.
- 200–18, parliamentary vote (with four abstentions) on the amendment.
- 8th, presidential term Biya was sworn into in 2025.
Why it matters
A constitutionally empowered VP who inherits the presidency converts an ageing autocrat's death into an automatic handover, potentially dynastic, without an election. In a fragile Central African state with an unresolved Anglophone conflict, the mechanism and the secrecy around Biya's health and the appointment shape whether any transition is orderly or contested.
What to watch
- Whether an official presidential decree names a vice-president, and whom.
- Opposition and Anglophone-region response to a hereditary succession path.
- Any verified information on Biya's health and public appearances.