Parliamentary elections were held in
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
on 30 September 2013, alongside local elections. They were originally scheduled for July 2012, February 2013 and July 2013, but were repeatedly postponed.
Background
Following a controversial
presidential election in 2011,
Islamic
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...
and Christian leaders met with Samuel Fonkam Azu'u, the head of the electoral commission ELECAM, in order to push for reforms demanded by the opposition. The measures included: biometric registration of voters as the previous election had multiple and non-existing voters, a single ballot paper for presidential elections, eligibility of independent candidates, eligibility of 18-year-olds to vote from the current 20 minimum requirement, recompilation of voter registers, two-round presidential election, establishing an electoral calendar, "harmonisation" of electoral laws and a "truly independent" electoral commission. Azu'u and Prime Minister
Philemon Yang then worked with leaders of various political parties, religions, traditional groups' leaders and foreign service officers to create an electoral code. Modibo Bouba Bello, the vice president of the Islamic Council, said that "it is our duty as servants of Allah to ensure that truth, transparency and justice reigns in our country, and this begins with elections in which every ballot counts," while he was supported by Reverend Sebastian Wongo Behong, the secretary general of the Cameroon Episcopal Conference, and Reverend Robert Ngoyek, the president of the Council of Protestant Churches. Behong said that "many democratising countries have frequently gone into chaos because of badly-organized elections.
heelectoral malpractices that are frequently observed in Cameroon could be leading the country towards a precipice."
Results
Official results were announced on 17 October 2013, showing that the ruling
Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC) had again won an overwhelming majority of seats in the National Assembly. The RDPC won 148 out of 180 seats, a slight decrease from the number of seats it won in 2007, while the main opposition party, the
Social Democratic Front, won 18 seats, a slight increase.
[Cameroun: le parti au pouvoir de Paul Biya remporte haut la main les législatives]
Radio France Internationale, 17 October 2013 The
National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP) won five seats and the
Cameroon Democratic Union
The Cameroon Democratic Union (french: Union Démocratique du Cameroun) is a political party in Cameroon. It was founded by Adamou Ndam Njoya, a former Minister of National Education under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, on 26 April 1991.
The CDU boyco ...
(UDC) won four. The
Union of the Peoples of Cameroon
The Union of the Peoples of Cameroon ( - UPC) is a political party in Cameroon.
Foundation
The UPC was founded on 10 April 1948, at a meeting in the bar ''Chez Sierra'' in Bassa. Twelve men assisted the founding meeting, including Charles Assa ...
(UPC) and the
Movement for the Defense of the Republic
The Movement for the Defence of the Republic (french: Mouvement pour la Défense de la République) is a political party in Cameroon, led by Dakolé Daïssala.
History
The party first contested national elections in 1992, when it won six seats ...
(MDR), two smaller parties which had been absent from the National Assembly for a time, regained representation; the UPC won three seats and the MDR obtained a single seat. One seat was also won by the
Cameroon Renaissance Movement
The Cameroon Renaissance Movement (french: Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroun, MRC) is a political party in Cameroon.
History
The party was established in August 2012 by Maurice Kamto. It won a single seat in the 2013 parliamentary elec ...
, which obtained parliamentary representation for the first time.
[
]
Aftermath
When the National Assembly began meeting for its new parliamentary term, Cavaye Yeguié Djibril, an RDPC deputy, was re-elected as President of the National Assembly on 4 November 2013. Cavayé received the votes of 150 deputies, while 23 deputies cast invalid votes. Hilarion Etong
Hilarion the Great (291–371) was an anchorite who spent most of his life in the desert according to the example of Anthony the Great (c. 251–356). While St Anthony is considered to have established Christian monasticism in the Egyptian de ...
, another RDPC deputy, was also re-elected as First Vice-President. Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba
Jean-Bernard Ndongo Essomba is a Cameroonian politician. He was President of the Parliamentary Group of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC) in the National Assembly of Cameroon from 1992 to 1997 and he has held that post again since ...
was retained in his post as President of the RDPC Parliamentary Group, while Joseph Banadzem was retained in his post as President of the SDF Parliamentary Group. The remainder of the National Assembly's bureau was elected on 5 November: five vice presidents, four quaestor
A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times.
In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...
s, and 12 secretaries. Four of the vice presidents were RDPC deputies, while one was an SDF deputy. Three of the quaestors were RDPC deputies, while one was an SDF deputy. 10 of the secretaries were RDPC deputies, while one was a UNDP deputy and one was a UDC deputy.National Assembly: Permanent Bureau ready for work
Cameroon Tribune, 6 November 2013
References
{{Cameroonian elections
Elections in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
Parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...