In a hard-hitting column published on june 26, 2026, cameroonian political activist Joe La Conscience launched a frontal attack on president Paul Biya. He paints a grim picture of 43 years of chaotic rule, shrinking public freedoms, and what he calls a calculated plan for a family-run succession. Accusing Biya of engineering a dynastic takeover is one thing — but coining the term ‘dynastocratie’ (dynastocracy) adds a new, sharp edge to the debate.
43 years in power and a shattered record
Joe La Conscience starts at the beginning. Biya’s rise to power in 1982, he argues, was a historic mistake by his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo. What was meant to be a transitional term turned into a personal reign spanning more than four decades.
The column paints a dark economic picture, accuses the regime of tribal governance, and notes a steady erosion of public liberties. These are heavy charges, made without official sources — more the author’s interpretation than hard evidence. But the tone is unmistakably that of an indictment.
The vice-presidency and the shadow of a family succession
Here the column becomes more precise — and more controversial. Joe La Conscience points to recent constitutional reforms, especially the creation of a vice-president position, as a possible mechanism for a succession orchestrated from the top. He forges the term ‘dynastocratie’ to describe what he sees as a deliberate plan to hand power to a member of the presidential family.
He also mentions alleged rivalries inside the presidential circle and various succession scenarios. None of these claims are backed by official confirmation, and the author himself presents them as hypotheses. But that does not make them any less revealing of a growing debate — one that is spreading even into circles not aligned with the radical opposition.
The president’s health, the uncertainties around the post-Biya era, and tensions over a potential transition — Joe La Conscience does not invent these questions. He puts them into words with his own conclusions.
This is a shift that cameroonian political debate is now undergoing, whether the institutions acknowledge it or not.
