Cameroon extends mandate of lawmakers for a year, paving way for president Biya to stay in power

Cameroonian President Paul Biya won approval from lawmakers in the Lower House of Parliament, extending the mandate for its current lawmakers for a year from 10 March 2025 to 30 March 2026.
Cameroon’s National Assembly approved the bill on Tuesday (9 July) that pushes back legislative and local elections until 2026, a move opposition parties fear will complicate their ability to contest next year’s presidential election. The House Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, explained the need for the extension to “decongest” the electoral calendar in 2025 which will see presidential, parliamentary, municipal and regional council elections in the Central African country. The government sought to justify the need to “lighten the electoral calendar” last week, saying that the proposed extension will “spread the elections over the years 2025 and 2026, so as to ensure better organization.”
Cameroonian opposition parties have slammed the move to extend the mandate for the current lawmakers. Despite the official government justification, the opposition sees the extension as a strategy to weaken any challenge to 91-year-old Biya, who is one of Africa’s longest serving presidents, in next year’s vote. According to Joshua Osih, national chairman of the opposition SDF party, delaying the elections was a democratic misstep.”The SDF is strongly opposed to this mandate extension,” Osih said. Akere Muna, a presidential aspirant, also criticized the extension, but conceded that “extending the mandate might be legal but it is undemocratic.” He also pointed out that “there is no doubt that the move is designed to frustrate the political ambitions of many.”