On television talk shows and in the pages of partisan newspapers, the same tired refrain returns like a bad chorus: the long-fantasized “Grand Evening,” that so-called prophecy of the end of Paul Biya’s reign and the collapse of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). In this poorly told fable, power is on the brink, the regime is crumbling, and the President’s loyalists are supposedly tearing each other apart in a brutal and imminent succession battle. The end of an era, they believe—the chaos before the fall, disorder as the prelude to a so-called democratic rebirth.
But reality sharply contradicts this narrative. A close look at the facts reveals that the “Grand Evening” is not unfolding within the corridors of power—but rather within the opposition, every day, every month, every election. While some dream of the Biya system’s collapse, it is their own house that is falling apart. Fragile alliances, leadership quarrels, cascading withdrawals, strategic absences from elections… Cameroon’s opposition seems to be in a constant state of preparation for an event it neither controls nor ever sees arrive.
And meanwhile? President Paul Biya, with the kind of strategic calm reserved only for masters of time, has summoned the electoral body. On October 12, 2025, the Cameroonian people will once again be called to exercise their sovereignty. And the CPDM, true to its heritage of discipline and resolve, is already in battle order.
What doomsday prophets refuse to see is that the CPDM is not fracturing—it is organizing. That the President’s men and women, far from devouring one another, are moving forward. From the grassroots to the highest levels, the party’s generals—veterans, loyal cadres, ambitious youth—are at work in communes, local sections, and electoral districts. Party discipline has never been an empty slogan—and it proves itself once again in this critical moment.
While the opposition searches for a candidate, a platform, and a strategy, the CPDM is already mobilizing its forces on the ground, galvanized by a clear direction and united in a common will: to carry on the work of stability, peace, and development initiated under President Biya’s leadership.
No, there is no “Grand Evening” at the top of the state. On the contrary, what we see is an active morning, a disciplined day, a methodical preparation. What some interpret as silence is in fact a sign of political mastery. What they call division is nothing more than a diversity of commitments serving the same goal. What they forecast as collapse is merely their own disappointment.
The real “Grand Evening” is happening in their own ranks. Every evening. Perpetual confusion, strategic absences, and fickle leadership. While they gaze at the sky, waiting for it to fall, the RDPC walks steadily on solid ground.
On October 12, history will not stop. It will continue—with those who still have the strength, the vision, and the cohesion to carry it forward.
The RDPC is ready.
The President has given the signal.
The battle begins—not for chaos, but for continuity.
Auréole TCHOUMI
CPDM Communicator
