Cameroon

Government

Government type: presidential republic Capital: name: Yaounde

Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region); Adamaoua, Centre, East (Est), Far North (Extreme-Nord), Littoral, North (Nord), North-West (Nord-Ouest), West (Ouest), South (Sud), South-West (Sud-Ouest) Independence: 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) National holiday: State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) Constitution: history: several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; amendment drafts require approval of at least one-third of the membership in either house of Parliament; passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership; passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership; the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority; constitutional articles on Cameroon’s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended; amended 2008 (2017) Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt Citizenship: citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cameroon dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Philemon YANG (since 30 June 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Amadou ALI (since 2014) cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 9 October 2011 (next to be held in October 2018); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 78%, John FRU NDI (SDF) 10.7%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.2%, other 8.1% Legislative branch: description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of: Senate or Senat (100 seats; 70 members indirectly elected by regional councils and 30 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 25 March 2018 (next to be held in 2023) National Assembly - last held on 30 September 2013 (next delayed until October 2019) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 63, SDF 7; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 148, SDF 18, UNDP 5, UDC 4, UPC 3, other 2 National Assembly - last held on 30 September 2013 (next delayed until October 2019) Judicial branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly; judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for single 9-year terms subordinate courts: Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrate's courts Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and Development Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM [Paul BIYA] Cameroon People's Party or CPP [Edith Kah WALLA] Cameroon Renaissance Movement or MRC [Maurice KAMTO] Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou Ndam NJOYA] Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA] Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC [Marcel YONDO] National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA] Progressive Movement or MP [Jean-Jacques EKINDI] Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI] Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC [Provisionary Management Bureau] International organization participation: