The viral news that President Paul Biya had appointed his son to as the vice president preparing to continue the family legacy should the inevitable happen.
The truth is that no one has yet been named to the office.
Local media reported that Biya had signed a decree appointing Franck Biya shortly after the post of vice president was reintroduced on Saturday. The position was scrapped in 1972 by a constitutional referendum.
The widely criticised bill which still require President Biya’s assent to become law, was passed by a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate but boycotted by the main opposition party.
The amendment gives the president absolute authority over the vice presidency, and he can appoint and dismiss office holders at will. The deputy can only exercise powers delegated by the president.
If the president dies, resigns, or becomes incapacitated, the vice president will serve as interim president for the remainder of the seven-year tenure.
Proponents of the bill say it will ensure institutional stability should the 93-year-old president be unable to carry out his duties. However, critics and the opposition say it undermines democratic principles.
The opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) said in a statement that the amendment “fails to guarantee democratic legitimacy, inclusiveness, and proper institutional balance.”
“It’s not democratic. This is a republic, and in a republic, those who wield power at the highest level of the state should be elected and not appointed,” Fusi Namukong, an SDF member of parliament, said.
The Cameroon Bar Association also warned the amendment “erodes the democratic legitimacy (of) the presidential office” and undermines the country’s constitution.
The world’s oldest leader, Paul Biya’s health has been a topic of speculation as he spends most of his time in Europe, leaving governance to key party officials and family members.
Biya has been in power since 1982. His re-election to an eighth term in 2025 sparked widespread protests that left at least four people dead, signalling growing tensions between the mostly young population and its aging president.