Bamenda , Cameroon ( CNN ) -- Cameroon 's longtime president , Paul Biya , has officially declared his candidacy for the October 9 presidential polls despite calls for him to step down after nearly 30 years in power . Biya 's party , the ruling Cameroon 's People Democratic Movement party ( CPDM ) , sent a high-profile delegation Sunday to the headquarters of ELECAM , the country 's electoral commission , to cast his name on the list along with at least 50 other presidential candidates , including three women . The move by the 78-year-old president to seek another seven-year term in office has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition Social Democratic Front , whose leader , John Fru Ndi , is also running for president . In the opposition-held stronghold of Bamenda , the capital of the country 's Northwest region , thousands of government troops from the Rapid Intervention Battalion were stationed in strategic locations to keep order after Biya 's announcement . In 2008 , Biya erased term limits from the constitution . That move -- coupled with rocketing food prices -- fueled anti-government riots that human rights groups , cited by the U.S. State Department , say killed approximately 100 people . The government of Cameroon put the number of deaths at 40 . `` We are worried about the fate of the youths in Cameroon . We do not have jobs and the cost for basic necessities like food , health and even water remain record-high . Cameroon is not to be ruled only by French-speaking citizens . We have English citizens as well , '' Bamenda resident Peter Ambe told CNN . As many as 80 % of young people in Cameroon are unemployed , according to opposition figures , while the government says unemployment is at 76 % . Ambe accuses Biya and his administration of corruption and embezzlement of state funds . As the political unrest simmered , many politicians voiced concerns that the so-called `` Arab Spring '' -- in which authoritarian governments in the Middle East and North Africa were being pushed out by popular uprisings -- was inching its way to sub-Saharan Africa , starting with Cameroon . In June , the opposition SDF called for a boycott of voter registration and disruption of the polls , denouncing the country 's elections commission due to its makeup of all Biya appointees . Two months later , the SDF backed off of its threatened disruptions after the government agreed to revise the composition to the elections commission and create better conditions for free and fair elections . But critics charge that Biya has consistently bypassed the constitution and doctored poll results in his favor , still putting ELECAM under his control . The European Union recently provided funding to increase voter awareness in Cameroon , as well as to train journalists and observers for the October 9 election . Supporters of the ruling CPDM party told CNN that criticisms against the president should be measured against his accomplishments , and noted that the country enjoys relative peace and stability . `` Mr. Biya is the people 's choice , '' Prof. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle , a senior cabinet minister , told CNN .
President Paul Biya has been in power since 1982 . Dozens of candidates are registered for the election . The opposition has criticized the country 's election board for alleged cronyism .