2018 election in Cameroon: Did US ambassador ask Biya to step?

The two men met in Yaounde on Thursday.

He said he told Mr Biya to think of leaving a legacy and proposed that he should follow the example of Nelson Mandela and George Washington.

"Finally, the President and I discussed upcoming elections. I suggested to the President that he should be thinking about his legacy and how he wants to be remembered in the history books to be read by generations to come, and proposed that George Washington and Nelson Mandela were excellent models" Ambassador Barlerin has revealed.

Mr Biya has been in power since 1982, apparently unwilling to hand over the mantle to someone else. By contrast, Nelson Mandela voluntarily stepped down as first black president of South Africa after his very first mandate.

George Washington in a similar spirit set the pace in US democracy by stepping aside after his two terms in office as first president of one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Cameroon looks forward to organising presidential election later in the year. Mr Biya is likely going to stand again after more than three and half decades in office.

{loadposition myposition2}