93岁的喀麦隆总统保罗·比亚已离开国家两个月，自6月9日离境后未曾返回[1]。作为世界最年长的现任领导人，比亚已执政超过40年[1]。其长期缺席引发了对国家权力合法性和领导人健康状况的广泛担忧。
喀麦隆宪法未明确禁止总统离开国家数月[1]，且国家没有副总统，因此权力结构面临明显空白[1]。反对派领导人伊萨·奇奥罗马·巴卡里指责总统缺席加剧了权力危机，称国家以"自动驾驶模式"运行，并表示"所有情况都不正常"[1]。喀麦隆同时面临武装叛乱、经济停滞和政治不稳定等问题。
在比亚缺席期间，2025年连任选举引发广泛抗议，至少四人在冲突中丧生[1]。周一，比亚进行了军事领导层改组，更换了五个联合军区中四个的指挥官[1]。喀麦隆人口近3000万，其中70%以上年龄低于35岁，而比亚自1982年上台以来，已执政超过该国70%人口的整个生命周期[1]。
Paul Biya, Cameroon's 93-year-old president and the world's oldest sitting leader, has been absent from the country for two months since departing on June 9, sparking widespread concern about his health and a potential power vacuum [1]. Biya has ruled Cameroon for over 40 years, making him the leader for more than 70 percent of the country's current population's entire lifetime [1]. Despite the extended absence, Cameroon's constitution does not explicitly prohibit the president from remaining abroad for extended periods [1].
The prolonged absence has intensified political tensions in a nation already grappling with armed insurgencies, economic stagnation, and political instability [1]. Opposition leaders have seized on the situation to criticize Biya's governance, with opposition figure Issa Chiroma Bakari asserting that "all situations are not normal" [1]. With no vice president in place, critics argue the country is operating on "autopilot mode" [1]. The controversy compounds anger over Biya's 2025 reelection bid, which triggered widespread protests that resulted in at least four deaths [1].
On Monday, Biya made a show of authority by reshuffling the military leadership, replacing commanders in four of five joint military regions [1]. Cameroon has a population of nearly 30 million, with over 70 percent under age 35, a demographic that has lived Biya's entire tenure in power [1].