Elections in Cameroon

Cameroon uses different electoral procedures for different public offices. The President is elected directly by secret ballot in a single round by the candidate who receives the highest number of valid votes. The presidential term lasts seven years and re-election is permitted. The National Assembly has 180 directly elected members serving five-year terms. Its constituency and list system combines majority and proportional elements. The Senate has 100 members for a five-year term: 70 are elected indirectly, with seven from each region by municipal and regional councillors, and 30 are appointed by the President. Senate list elections use one round and combine majority and proportional elements with a 5% threshold. Regional Councils are elected indirectly through departmental delegates chosen by municipal councillors and representatives of the traditional command structure chosen by traditional chiefs. Municipal Councils are elected directly, with the commune serving as the constituency. ELECAM also organizes referenda, which the Constitutional Council supervises and proclaims. Elections Cameroon is the independent election body. Its Electoral Board supervises legal compliance and integrity, handles candidate matters and electoral complaints, while the General Directorate of Elections manages planning, voter registers, materials, polling-station preparation, training and the transport of results. Regional, divisional and council branches support these functions. Candidate files are submitted to the General Directorate of Elections, after which the Electoral Board reviews and publishes the lists. A presidential candidate must be a Cameroonian by birth, retain civic and political rights and be at least 35 years old; other offices have election-specific requirements. Presidential candidate files must generally be submitted within ten days after the electorate is convened. Candidates and parties may appoint polling agents. Campaign conduct is governed by Sections 87 to 95 of the Electoral Code, and observers require accreditation. Cameroonian citizens who are at least 20 years old can generally vote when they are entered in the electoral register and do not fall under a statutory exclusion. The usual residence or home-community requirement is at least six months, subject to exceptions such as armed-forces personnel at their station and certain transferred or tax-linked voters. Certain convictions, imprisonment, insolvency and legal incapacity can restrict voting rights. Registration takes place through an ELECAM council branch or mobile team and a joint commission. The annual revision allows enrolment, removal, corrections and objections. Each voter should have one registration and one entry. The register records details such as name, birth information, occupation and residence. The voter card is permanent, and a person whose card is missing may still be checked at the polling station. For the 2026 revision, enrolment is open until 31 August 2026, and voters can verify their information online or at a branch. Cameroonian citizens abroad may vote only in presidential elections and referenda. They register at a diplomatic representation or consular post and vote there. The usual documents include a Cameroonian passport, residence permit and consular card. Within Cameroon, polling stations operate in public or publicly accessible premises and normally serve no more than 500 electors. A local polling commission includes an ELECAM chair, an administration representative and representatives of candidates, lists or parties. The chair maintains order. Voting uses a secret ballot, a uniform opaque envelope, a ballot paper, a ballot box and a voting booth. Voters normally present an identity document or national identity card together with the voter card; where the card is missing, identity may be checked under the applicable procedure. A voter with a disability may choose one assistant, and only one person may provide that assistance. Party agents may have access within the legal limit of three per subdivision and may record remarks in the polling report. The local commission counts the ballots and records the result in a report. Ballots, reports and other material then move through divisional supervisory commissions, regional and central consolidation, and the National Commission for Final Vote Counting or another body designated by law. The Electoral Board may publish trends. The Constitutional Council proclaims presidential, National Assembly and Senate results and gives final decisions on the relevant disputes. Register and voter-card complaints begin with the competent joint or local bodies and may proceed to divisional supervisory commissions or the appropriate court. Complaints about presidential, parliamentary or senatorial elections go to the Constitutional Council when submitted by an eligible candidate, participating party or state electoral agent. Local and regional disputes follow the applicable administrative or judicial procedure, and the deadlines differ by election type and are short. The presidential election held on 12 October 2025 was officially proclaimed on 27 October 2025. Paul BIYA received 53.66% of valid votes. Laws 2026/002 and 2026/003 amended constitutional and electoral arrangements, including the possibility of a Vice-President, vacancy rules, a possible new election within 20 to 120 days when the Vice-President is absent or unable to serve, and an oath by the President-elect no later than 15 days after proclamation. ELECAM does not list a general registration or voting fee in the available primary material. Voters may nevertheless incur costs for identity or registration documents and transport, and access can be affected by residence, security and logistics. Presidential and National Assembly elections have the widest direct reach; Senate and Regional Council elections are indirect but institutionally significant, while Municipal Council elections provide the main directly elected local level.