Cameroon's President Biya returns home after unexplained 10-week absence
President Paul Biya, 93, returned to Cameroon on Thursday, after a 73-day absence that fuelled speculation about his health.
FILE - Cameroon's President Paul Biya, of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement party, waits to cast his vote during the presidential elections, Oct. 7, 2018, in Yaounde, -
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Cameroon
Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has returned to the country after a two-and-a-half month absence.
Ninety-three year old Biya - the world’s oldest serving head of state - left for Geneva in June for what his office called a “short private stay.”
But weeks into the trip, his extended absence dominated newspaper headlines and raised questions about continuity in government and the exercise of presidential powers.
Amid mounting rumors about his health, an opposition lawmaker asked the Constitutional Council to declare the presidency vacant.
In an apparent effort to reassure the country, Biya signed a number of presidential decrees and official social media accounts continued to post messages in his name.
With no vice president in place, the debate over succession and institutional continuity is unlikely to die down despite his return.