By Atia Tilarious Azohnwi
Members of Cameroon’s National Assembly adopted a bill on Monday, July 2, 2018 extending their mandate by one year when it ends on October 29 this year. This means Parliamentary elections constitutional planned for this year would only hold sometime before the extended mandate of MPs expires on October 29, 2019.
“The mandate of the deputies is extended for a period of twelve months, from October 29, 2018,” read the bill presented to parliament by President Paul Biya on June 14, 2018. The extension is in line with Section 15(4) of the constitution.
An imminent extension of the mandate of councilors in line with Section 170(2) of the electoral code is also previewed.
During Monday’s plenary sitting at the Glass House, MPs of the 9th legislature voted the draft government text, extending the mandate of the MPs until October 29, 2019. The bill was earlier tabled on Thursday, June 14 to the bureau of the National Assembly that is currently meeting for the June ordinary session.
The MPs took 18 days to pass the bill, only doing so when public opinion had been tilted to other topical societal issues.
Twin elections – legislative and municipal elections were expected to hold in September 2018 following the expiry of the current mandate of MPs and councillors who were elected for a five-year mandate on September 29, 2013.
Government is opting for a postponement of the twin elections on grounds that organizing the legislative, municipal and presidential elections that fall in the same year will be very costly for the state.
The legislative and municipal elections would thus be postponed because of financial problems resulting from the drop in oil prices on the international market, the heavy investments linked to the organisation of the African Cup of Nations – 2019 AFCON, the cost of the war against Boko Haram in the Far North, as well as the unrests in the North West and South West Regions.
Most of those who are celebrating the extension are some MPs of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) in the South West and North West Regions who may not have their mandates renewed under the present socio-political context.
Presidential elections expected to be held by October this year is not affected by the postponement. Biya has been in power since 1982, making him one of Africa’s longest serving leaders, and could run again for another presidential term.
The 85-year-old had told lawmakers in a bill that the holding of presidential, legislative and municipal elections in the same period would be “difficult” due to “overlapping electoral operations”.
Tensions have repeatedly flared in the French-speaking majority country where separatists in its Anglophone regions have been fighting government forces since proclaiming an autonomous republic of “Ambazonia” in October last year.