The political editorial broadcast on Monday, July 20, 2026, on Radio Tiémeni Siantou (90.5 FM in Yaoundé and Bafang), penned by Eric Boniface Tchouakeu, questions the implications of President Paul Biya’s extended private stay abroad.

The editorial follows the President’s departure from Cameroon on June 7, 2026, officially described as a ‘short private stay’ in Europe, according to a statement from his Cabinet Director, Samuel Mvondo Ayolo.

International media outlets, including the reputable pan-African publication Jeune Afrique, have confirmed that President Biya, aged 93, is currently in Geneva, Switzerland—a location he has frequented since assuming office on November 6, 1982. What was initially presented as a brief trip has now stretched into an indefinite absence, fueling public speculation about his health despite repeated reassurances from authorities.

Some observers have even raised concerns about a potential power vacuum in Cameroon. However, it is essential to clarify that the Cameroonian Constitution does not link the concept of a vacant presidency to the number of days a president spends outside the country. The legal framework does not impose any time limit on presidential travel abroad.

Under the current constitution, a power vacuum can only be declared in three specific scenarios: the death, resignation, or definitive incapacity of the sitting president. Notably, the term ‘definitive incapacity’ remains undefined in both the constitution and any other legal text, leaving room for interpretation.

Therefore, concerns about a power vacuum based solely on the President’s prolonged absence abroad are legally unfounded. In theory, the Head of State could reside abroad and govern Cameroon remotely throughout his term without violating any legal provisions—though this raises significant ethical and political questions.

The prolonged delay in forming the government following the October 12, 2025 presidential election, coupled with the swift reinstatement of the Vice-President position—a reform pushed through with unusual haste—may explain why some citizens are now meticulously tracking the number of days President Biya has spent abroad since June 7, 2026.

It is worth noting that after more than 43 uninterrupted years in power, Paul Biya has never signed or issued any major decree from abroad.