Cameroon's Bakary launches challenge to Biya in political shake-up
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who served as spokesperson for Biya's government from 2009 to 2018, said last week he had resigned as employment minister in response to what he said were widespread calls for change.
"As a political leader, I felt called upon to respond to this solicitation from our compatriots from north to south, from east to west," Tchiroma said in an interview with a social media influencer Ben Oumar on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday.
Cameroon's communication ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state at 92, has not confirmed whether he plans to stand again in the vote. There has been widespread speculation in Cameroon about a possible succession battle in the ruling coalition.
Tchiroma's challenge could shake the ruling party's confidence ahead of what many anticipate will be a historic election — possibly the first without Biya since 1982. Cameroon has had just two presidents since independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s.
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