The government has tabled a bill in parliament aimed at giving the Head of State the power to extend the mandate of local elected officials without limit.
Parliament has been examining since March 30, 2026, bill No. 2093/PL amending certain provisions of Law No. 2012/001 of April 19, 2012, on the Electoral Code. The text received by the conference of presidents has already received the blessing of the constitutional laws committee of the National Assembly. This March 31, it will go to a plenary session for examination and adoption by the entire chamber, composed mostly of deputies from the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), the ruling party.
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In substance, the bill aims to amend the provisions of Article 170 of the Electoral Code. The said article provides in paragraph 1 that “municipal councils are renewed in full every five years on the same date”. “However, in case of necessity, the President of the Republic may, by decree, extend or shorten the mandate of municipal councillors for a period not exceeding eighteen months, after consultation with the government and the Bureau of the Senate”.
The new Article 170 submitted for examination in parliament provides that (1) “municipal councils are renewed in full every five years on the same date. (2) However, in case of necessity, the President of the Republic may, by decree, extend or shorten the mandate of municipal councillors after consultation with the government and the bureau of the Senate”.
Thus, the text aims to lift the lock on the limitation of the extension of the mandate of municipal councillors to 18 months. But for what reasons? In the explanatory memorandum, the government recalls that the Head of State extended the mandate of municipal councillors for a period of 15 months until May 31, 2026. The President of the Republic can only extend the mandate of these elected officials for a period not exceeding three months. This could only extend the mandate until August 25, 2026, forcing the organization of municipal elections before that date.
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But, “the constraints inherent in the mobilization of financial resources on the one hand and the material and logistical organization of this ballot by the body in charge of elections, on the other hand, make a new postponement of these municipal elections necessary”, reads the explanatory memorandum.
The new extension envisaged cannot take place under the current state of the laws, as the President of the Republic is limited by the texts in force which should be modified beforehand. Thus, once the text is modified, the Head of State will issue a decree to extend the mandate of municipal councillors.
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