The ruling party in Cameroon has forcefully rejected claims regarding an alleged power vacuum, dismissing such assertions as legally unfounded and politically baseless. Minister of State Jacques Fame Ndongo emphasized that no legal or constitutional provision in Cameroon stipulates a maximum duration for presidential absence abroad.

He further argued that invoking non-existent constitutional clauses to question President Paul Biya’s absence would represent a dangerous precedent rooted in legal misinterpretation. The minister described such arguments as ‘creative yet groundless fabrications’ promoted by those seeking to destabilize the government.

Fame Ndongo also reassured the public that President Biya—who has led Cameroon since 1982—remains fully engaged in governance. He confirmed that the Head of State continues to oversee critical files, whether through in-person consultations or digital communication channels accessible to all officials.

‘This is not a stay—it’s a de facto exile’

The Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), led by opposition figure Maurice Kamto, swiftly responded to the government’s statement. The party’s vice president, Mamadou Mota, questioned the legitimacy of presidential duties conducted remotely, asking: ‘How many weeks of physical absence render the supreme magistracy meaningless? Forty-five days outside national territory isn’t a stay—it’s a de facto exile.’

The MRC mocked the notion of Cameroon operating as ‘the first nation governed through covert telecommuting’, suggesting that President Biya’s remote oversight of state affairs defies conventional governance norms.