The Paul Biya Europe stay vacancy debate has intensified now that his 44-day absence has stretched to 50 days, shifting the conversation from speculation to constitutional argument. In a statement dated July 21, 2026, Jacques Fame Ndongo, Secretary of Communication for the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), asserted that “there is no vacancy at the highest level of the State.” The same day, Mamadou Mota, Vice-President of the Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), contested that position.
The Paul Biya Europe Stay Vacancy Debate Enters Constitutional Ground
The controversy centers on one fact: the Presidency of the Republic has not announced a return date for the Head of State. Paul Biya left Yaoundé on June 7, 2026, accompanied by his wife Chantal Biya, for what the Civil Cabinet described as a “short private stay in Europe.”
Since then, several opposition leaders and civil society actors have questioned the President’s ability to fully exercise his functions from abroad. Some have even called on the Constitutional Council to examine the possibility of a power vacuum. For the presidential party, however, the length of the stay alone isn’t enough to trigger such a procedure.
The CPDM’s Position: No Vacancy, No Disruption
“No legal or regulatory provision sets a maximum duration for presidential stays outside Cameroon,” Fame Ndongo argues. According to him, no constitutional rule allows anyone to conclude there’s a vacancy of power simply because the president is physically absent from national territory.
The ruling party’s argument rests on a distinction between the president’s geographical absence and any inability to perform his duties. For the CPDM, travel abroad does not, by itself, disrupt the functioning of institutions.
The Head of State Continues to Govern, CPDM Says
In his statement, Fame Ndongo insists that Paul Biya remains able to exercise his prerogatives. The Head of State, he says, “meticulously follows the files submitted to him daily by his staff, either in person or through the electronic means known to all.”
Cameroon’s Constitution doesn’t set a maximum duration for the president’s private trips outside national territory. It does, however, regulate presidential vacancy — a situation in which the officeholder can no longer continue their term under conditions the fundamental law stipulates. Simply extending a stay abroad doesn’t automatically constitute a vacancy; for that to be legally recognized, it must meet the criteria and procedures the Constitution sets out.
The MRC Denounces a “Sophism”
Mamadou Mota disputes the CPDM’s reasoning entirely. According to the MRC vice-president, the absence of an explicit limit on how long a president can stay abroad doesn’t exempt the head of state from carrying out his duties in practice.
“To claim that no legal provision sets a maximum duration for a presidential stay abroad in order to dismiss the debate is pure sophistry,” he wrote on his digital platforms.
Mota invokes Article 5 of the Constitution, under which the President of the Republic ensures respect for the fundamental law, ensures through his arbitration the regular functioning of public authorities, and guarantees the continuity of the State. He asks how these responsibilities can be exercised during a prolonged absence, without public communication on the president’s concrete working arrangements.
“Executive power is exercised at the heart of the nation, not by smoke signals or telepathy from hotel suites on the other side of the world,” Mota quips, describing a Cameroon he says is governed by “clandestine teleworking.”
That said, this criticism stems more from political expediency and institutional transparency concerns than from a legal demonstration of vacancy. In its response, the MRC provides no evidence that Paul Biya is legally or materially incapable of performing his duties.
Absence, Impediment, and Vacancy: Three Distinct Situations
Much of the controversy stems from confusion between three different legal concepts:
- Absence — the president simply isn’t present on national territory. It doesn’t automatically transfer his powers.
- Impediment — an inability, possibly temporary, to perform presidential duties.
- Vacancy — the definitive termination of the presidential term under conditions the Constitution stipulates, formally confirmed by the competent institution.
The constitutional revision promulgated on April 14, 2026, also modified several provisions governing the executive branch and established a vice-presidency. This reform reinforces the question of continuity of power, but the mere existence of a vice-president doesn’t mean he automatically replaces the head of state whenever the latter travels abroad. The system of replacement or succession can only activate in situations the Constitution provides for — and at this stage, no competent authority has officially declared an incapacity or a vacancy in the presidency.
The legally relevant question, then, isn’t whether 44 days constitutes an excessively long stay. It’s whether objective elements exist that establish the head of state can no longer perform his duties.
A Controversy Fueled by the Presidency’s Silence
Without such a finding, the Paul Biya Europe stay vacancy debate remains primarily political rather than legal. The CPDM defends the continuity of the state and asserts that the president retains control of the issues. The MRC, meanwhile, believes the length of the stay and the lack of detailed information undermine the transparency and credibility of how institutions function.
Official communications have only fueled the controversy. Since the announcement of his departure on June 7, the presidency has published several messages attributed to the head of state — particularly around foreign national holidays. However, it has provided no public details about his whereabouts, his state of health, his schedule, or an anticipated return date.
The exchange between Jacques Fame Ndongo and Mamadou Mota doesn’t legally resolve the vacancy question. Instead, it reveals a growing demand for clarity on how presidential power is exercised during a prolonged absence.
Initially presented as a “short private stay,” Paul Biya’s European trip has now entered its seventh week, with no official announcement of his return. In the end, it’s less the trip itself than its duration and the silence surrounding it that have turned this absence into an institutional and political issue.
