Cameroon: René Sadi assures that Paul Biya is alive and that there is no vacancy in power.
The prolonged absence of Cameroonian President Paul Biya raises new questions as the head of state has been out of the country for nearly two months. The government assured on Sunday that he is alive and that there is no vacancy in power.
“The president is alive,” said the Minister of Communication and government spokesperson, René Emmanuel Sadi, in an exclusive interview with RFI. He also announced Paul Biya’s upcoming return to Cameroon, without specifying the date.
This statement is the first official reaction from Cameroonian authorities since the beginning of this prolonged absence. It comes as opposition voices demand institutional clarification and question the president’s ability to perform his duties.
## The government rejects any vacancy in power
René Emmanuel Sadi criticized opposition figures for making a biased interpretation of the Fundamental Law. According to him, constitutional provisions must be interpreted in a “more rigorous and objective” manner.
The minister specifically challenged the idea that the Constitutional Council had declared a vacancy at the head of the state. “The Constitutional Council has not made a ruling to declare a vacancy in power,” he asserted.
When asked about the date of the president’s return, René Emmanuel Sadi admitted that he could not provide a precise timetable. “I cannot tell you exactly when President Paul Biya will return,” he stated, before assuring that he would come back “very soon.”
Paul Biya’s absence has fueled speculation in Cameroon for several weeks, in a political context marked by opposition questions regarding the continuity of power. The authorities have not provided any further details about the president’s current location or the reasons for the length of his stay abroad.
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