Elections in Cameroon

Last updated

Elections in Cameroon occur in a system of electoral autocracy, as the ruling party (which has been in power since independence in 1960) manipulates elections and represses political opposition. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Cameroon elects on a national level, a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected for a seven-year term by the people; a two-term limit on the office was removed through a parliamentary vote in April 2008. [4] The National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) has 180 members, elected for a five-year term in 49 single and multi-seat constituencies. Cameroon also has a Senate, with 100 elected officials, each serving 5 years. 70 of these are elected by a regional council, while 30 are elected directly from the president. [5]

Cameroon is a one party dominant state with the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement in power. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. Elections are manipulated in favor of the ruling party. [3] [6] [7]

Independent candidates are barred from running in parliamentary and municipal elections. They are permitted to run in presidential elections, but there has never been an independent presidential candidate due to the very exacting legal requirements for an independent candidacy. [8]

Federal Elections

Since 1990, multiple parties have been able to run in federal elections, with 1992 being the first year of municipal elections. [9] 1996 was then the first year of multiple parties running for the presidential office. [9] Later down the line, The National Assembly worked to limit the amount of issues by passing a National Elections Observatory in 2000. [9] The NEO works to supervise local and legislative elections across the country. [9]

A picture of Cameroon's Election Commission. Cameroon's Election Commission.jpg
A picture of Cameroon's Election Commission.

Eligibility to Vote

In order to be able to vote in Cameroon, voters must be at least 20 years of age on the day of the election. [10] As of 2009, people are able to be register to vote between January 1st and April 30th and must register to vote at that time to vote. [10] During this period, people head to registration offices located throughout the country. [10]

Eligibility to Run

Parliamentary Elections

There are numerous criteria to be able to run for Parliament such as being able read and write in French or English, be nominated or presented by a political party, be 23 years of age, being a Cameroonian born citizen, paying the Treasury to indicate a parliament run and not have been declared ineligible to run. [10]

Presidential Elections

According to Article 8 of the Chapter 1 of the Cameroonian Constitution, those attempting a presidential bid must be at least 35 years of age and born in Cameroon. [11] The person must than be able to show that they live in Cameroon as further prove as citizenship. [10]


See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Cameroon</span>

The politics of Cameroon takes place in the context of an electoral autocracy where multi-party elections have been held since 1992, the ruling party wins every election, and Paul Biya has been president since 1982. Since Cameroon's independence in 1960, it has been a single-party state and ruled only by two presidents: Ahmadou Ahidjo and Paul Biya. Political opposition are repressed and elections are manipulated in favor of the ruling party.

Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are chosen depends upon the electoral system used. The most commonly used systems are the plurality system and the two-round system for single-winner elections, such as a presidential election, and proportional representation for the election of a legislature or executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Malawi</span>

Malawi elects on the national level a head of state and government – the President – and a national assembly. The President and members of the National Assembly, elected simultaneously at a General Election, together form the Malawian Parliament owing to the President's role as both head of government and head of state. In practice however, the National Assembly is on par with the executive and is able to exercise oversight functions through investigations and public hearings on various matters including those involving the executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Chile</span>

Elections in Chile are held nationwide, including the presidency, parliament, regional offices, and municipal positions. Chilean citizens and foreign residents with legal residency of at least five years, who are 18 years or older on election day, are eligible to vote. Previously, voting was voluntary, but since 2023, it has become compulsory.

Regular elections in Croatia are mandated by the Constitution and legislation enacted by Parliament. The presidency, Parliament, county prefects and assemblies, city and town mayors, and city and municipal councils are all elective offices. Since 1990, seven presidential elections have been held. During the same period, ten parliamentary elections were also held. In addition, there were nine nationwide local elections. Croatia has also held three elections to elect members of the European Parliament following its accession to the EU on 1 July 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in France</span>

France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with a bicameral legislature. Public officials in the legislative and executive branches are either elected by the citizens or appointed by elected officials. Referenda may also be called to consult the French citizenry directly on a particular question, especially one which concerns amendment to the Constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Ghana</span>

Ghana elects on national level a head of state, the president, and a legislature. The president is elected for a four-year term by the people. According to the constitution, each President can be elected for only two (four-year) terms after which they are no longer eligible to run for Presidency. The Parliament of Ghana has 275 members, elected for a four-year term in single-seat constituencies. Unlike the Presidency, parliamentarians are eligible to run for as many terms as possible so long as they are of sound mind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Benin</span>

Elections in Benin take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. Both the President and the National Assembly are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Kenya</span>

Elections in Kenya take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President, Senate and National Assembly are directly elected by voters, with elections organised by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

There are five types of elections in Slovakia: municipal elections, regional elections, parliamentary elections, presidential elections and elections to the European Parliament. All four types of elections are normally held after fixed periods, although early elections can occur in certain situations. Elections are conventionally scheduled for a Saturday - the polls normally open at 7:00 in the morning and close at 22:00 in the evening. Citizens aged 18 years or older are eligible to vote. Those serving prison sentences for particularly serious crimes, as well as those deprived of legal capacity, including persons with mental disabilities, are denied the right to vote. Voter registration is passive and decentralized with the voter register maintained by municipalities based on the permanent residence register. Voter lists are updated continuously based on municipal records and input provided by state institutions or other municipalities. Voters may verify their data in voter lists, and, if necessary, request correction until the day before election day. On election day, a voter can be added to a voter list upon presenting an identity card with proof of residency. Some 4.4 million voters are registered and valid to vote in the elections. Voters are only able to vote from abroad during the Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Zambia</span>

Elections in Zambia take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a presidential system. The President and National Assembly are simultaneously elected for five-year terms.

The coattail effect or down-ballot effect is the tendency for a popular political party leader to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election. For example, in the United States, the party of a victorious presidential candidate will often win many seats in Congress as well; these Members of Congress are voted into office "on the coattails" of the president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Assembly (Cameroon)</span> Lower house of the Parliament of Cameroon

The National Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Cameroon. It has 180 members, elected for five-year terms in 49 single and multi-seat constituencies. Together with the senate, it constitutes the legislative arm of government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in California</span> Overview of the procedure of elections in the U.S. state of California

Elections in California are held to fill various local, state and federal seats. In California, regular elections are held every even year ; however, some seats have terms of office that are longer than two years, so not every seat is on the ballot in every election. Special elections may be held to fill vacancies at other points in time. Recall elections can also be held. Additionally, statewide initiatives, legislative referrals and referendums may be on the ballot.

Dakole Daïssala was a Cameroonian politician and the President of the Movement for the Defence of the Republic (MDR), a political party based in Cameroon's Far North Region. He served in the government of Cameroon as Minister of State for Posts and Telecommunications from 1992 to 1997; subsequently he was a Deputy in the National Assembly from 1997 to 2002 and then Minister of Transport from 2004 to 2007. He served in the Senate from 2013 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States presidential election</span> Type of election in the United States

The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not directly for those offices, but instead for members of the Electoral College. These electors then cast direct votes, known as electoral votes, for president, and for vice president. The candidate who receives an absolute majority of electoral votes is then elected to that office. If no candidate receives an absolute majority of the votes for president, the House of Representatives elects the president; likewise if no one receives an absolute majority of the votes for vice president, then the Senate elects the vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavayé Yéguié Djibril</span> Cameroonian politician

Cavayé Yéguié Djibril is a Cameroonian politician who has been the President of the National Assembly of Cameroon since 1992. He is a leading member of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral system</span> Method by which voters make a choice between options

An electoral system or voting system is a set of rules that determine how elections and referendums are conducted and how their results are determined. Electoral systems are used in politics to elect governments, while non-political elections may take place in business, non-profit organisations and informal organisations. These rules govern all aspects of the voting process: when elections occur, who is allowed to vote, who can stand as a candidate, how ballots are marked and cast, how the ballots are counted, how votes translate into the election outcome, limits on campaign spending, and other factors that can affect the result. Political electoral systems are defined by constitutions and electoral laws, are typically conducted by election commissions, and can use multiple types of elections for different offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Cameroonian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Cameroon on 30 September 2013, alongside local elections. They were originally scheduled for July 2012, February 2013 and July 2013, but were repeatedly postponed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Angolan general election</span>

General elections were held in Angola on 31 August 2012 to elect the President and National Assembly. These were the first elections after the new 2010 constitution was instituted. During campaigning, the opposition UNITA and its offshoot CASA-CE accused and criticised the government of corruption and called for greater transparency; this led to protests and arrests the day before the election.

References

  1. Letsa, Natalie Wenzell (2024). "Partisanship and Political Socialization in Electoral Autocracies". American Political Science Review: 1–16. doi: 10.1017/S0003055424000261 . ISSN   0003-0554.
  2. Letsa, Natalie Wenzell (2020). "Expressive Voting in Autocracies: A Theory of Non-Economic Participation with Evidence from Cameroon". Perspectives on Politics. 18 (2): 439–453. doi:10.1017/S1537592719001002. ISSN   1537-5927.
  3. 1 2 Harkness, Kristen A. (2020), "Cameroon: The Military and Autocratic Stability", Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-1800, ISBN   978-0-19-022863-7
  4. "AFP: Cameroon chamber frees president to run until 2018". Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  5. "Election for Cameroonian National Assembly". ElectionGuide.
  6. Gramer, Jefcoate O'Donnell, Robbie (2024-03-26). "Cameroon's Paul Biya Gives a Master Class in Fake Democracy". Foreign Policy.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Cameroon: Freedom in the World 2022 Country Report". Freedom House. 2022.
  8. Dibussi Tande, Scribbles from the Den: Essays on Politics and Collective Memory in Cameroon (2009), page 128.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Cameroon (06/07)". U.S. Department of State Diplomacy in Action.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Cameroonian Voter's Guide". The Cameroonian Voter's Guide.
  11. "Cameroon 1972 (rev. 2008) Constitution -- Constitute". Constitute.