This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Cameroon |
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Government |
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A constitutional referendum was held in Cameroon on 20 May 1972. The new constitution would make the country a unitary state, as opposed to the previous federal system, as well as giving more powers to President Ahmadou Ahidjo. [1] It was passed by 99.99% of voters with a 98.2% turnout.
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the Bight of Biafra, part of the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. Although Cameroon is not an ECOWAS member state, it geographically and historically is in West Africa with the Southern Cameroons which now form her Northwest and Southwest Regions having a strong West African history. The country is sometimes identified as West African and other times as Central African due to its strategic position at the crossroads between West and Central Africa.
Ahmadou Babatoura Ahidjo was a Cameroonian politician who was the first President of Cameroon, holding the office from 1960 until 1982. Ahidjo played a major role Cameroon's independence from France as well as reuniting the French and English-speaking parts of the country. During Ahidjo's time in office, he established a centralized political system. Ahidjo established a single-party state under the Cameroon National Union in 1966. In 1972, Ahidjo abolished the federation in favor of a unitary state. Ahidjo resigned from the presidency in 1982, and Paul Biya assumed the presidency. This was an action which was surprising to Cameroonians. Accused of being behind a coup plot against Biya in 1984, Ahidjo was sentenced to death in absentia, but he died of natural causes.
Choice | Votes | % |
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For | 3,177,846 | 99.99 |
Against | 176 | 0.01 |
Invalid/blank votes | 1,612 | – |
Total | 3,179,634 | 100 |
Registered voters/turnout | 3,236,280 | 98.2 |
Source: African Elections Database |
The politics of Cameroon takes place in a framework of a unitary presidential republic, whereby the President of Cameroon is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly of Cameroon.
British Cameroons was a British Mandate territory in British West Africa. Today, the territory forms parts of Northern Nigeria in West Africa and Cameroon in Central Africa.
Paul Biya is a Cameroonian politician serving as the President of Cameroon since 6 November 1982.
The Cameroon People's Democratic Movement is the ruling political party in Cameroon. Previously known as the Cameroonian National Union, which had dominated Cameroon politics since independence in 1960, it was renamed in 1985. The National President of the CPDM is Paul Biya, the President of Cameroon, while the Secretary-General of the RDPC's Central Committee is Jean Nkuete.
Elections in Cameroon gives information on election and election results in Cameroon.
Southern Cameroons was the southern part of the British Mandate territory of British Cameroons in West Africa. Since 1961 it has been part of the Republic of Cameroon, where it makes up the Northwest Region and Southwest Region. Since 1994, pressure groups in the territory have sought independence from the Republic of Cameroon, and the Republic of Ambazonia was declared by the Southern Cameroons Peoples Organisation (SCAPO) on 31 August 2006.
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.
The Cameroonian Union was a Cameroonian pro-independence party active in the French territory of Cameroun.
Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 11 October 2004. Incumbent President Paul Biya was easily re-elected in an election which the opposition claimed had seen widespread electoral fraud.
Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 28 March 1970. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Cameroonian National Union as the sole legal party. Its leader, Ahmadou Ahidjo, was the only candidate in the election, and won unopposed. Voter turnout was 99.4%.
Parliamentary elections were held in Cameroon on 29 May 1983. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Cameroonian National Union as the sole legal party. 2,600 candidates ran for a place on the CNU list, with 120 eventually winning a place on it, equal to the number seats available in the National Assembly. The party won all seats with a 99.19% turnout.
Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 5 April 1980. The country was a one-party state at the time, with the Cameroonian National Union as the sole legal party. Its leader, Ahmadou Ahidjo, was the only candidate in the election, and won unopposed. Voter turnout was 99.0%.
Parliamentary elections were held in Cameroon on 1 March 1992. They were first multi-party elections for the National Assembly since 1964, although they were boycotted by the Social Democratic Front and the Cameroon Democratic Union. The result was a victory for the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, which won 88 of the 180 seats. Voter turnout was 60.7%.
Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 9 October 2011. Incumbent President Paul Biya stood for another term after a constitutional amendment passed in 2008 eliminated term limits. Biya was re-elected with 78% of the vote.
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.
Corruption in Cameroon has been called "Cameroon's worst-kept secret" by Thomson Reuters, and Cameroon has had "persistent problems with corruption" according to BBC News. The Corruption Perceptions Index (2014) by Transparency International ranked Cameroon 136 out of 175 countries and found that the police are seen by Cameroonians as the most corrupt institution in the government.
Presidential elections were held in Cameroon on 7 October 2018.
The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War, is a conflict in the Southern Cameroons region of Cameroon, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. In September 2017, separatists in the Anglophone territories of Northwest Region and Southwest Region declared the independence of Ambazonia and began fighting against the Government of Cameroon.