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Political
and Administrative System
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Country
Info
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Cameroon |
| Map |
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| Flag |
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| Basic
Social and Demographic Data |
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| Government
Type : |
Unitary
republic; multiparty presidential regime
(opposition parties legalized in 1990)
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| Legal
System: |
Based on French civil law system, with common
law influence; does not accept compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
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| Political
Independence: |
1
January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French
administration) |
| How
many levels of government are there currently
and what are they? |
Quatre
(4) pour l'Etat:
National, Provincial, départemental,
d'arrondissement (ou de district, les deux
ayant à peu près les mêmes
attributions).
Deux niveaux décentralisés:
Région (non encore fonctionnelle) et
commune |
Administrative
Division
(as of 1999): |
10
provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord,
Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest |
| Number
of Administrative Regions: |
10
in 1998, 10 in 1993, 7 in 1988 |
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| Constitution: |
Adoption
(date): (161)
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20
May 1972
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Comment (161):
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Adoption:
Référendum du 20 Mai 1972.
Promulgation: 02 Juin 1972.
Dernière modification : 18 Janvier
1996
***
A new constitution was presented for approval
to the National Assembly (parliament) on December
23rd 1995. The basic characteristics include
a presidential system tailored on the US model
and a bicameral parliament with a Senate,
to which 30% of members will be nominated.
The constitution also extends the presidential
term of office to seven years but restricts
the number of terms to two, and provides for
a constitutional council and regional assemblies.
Since independence, the encroachment of factional
politics has undermined the integrity of institutions
of state, including the judiciary, by fostering
corruption, mismanagement and incompetence.
The most important decision-making powers
reside with the presidency and a circle of
advisers and officials close to Mr Biya. |
| What
institutions, ministries, agencies, and other
bodies are defined by the constitution as
making up the following branches of central
or national government? (162) |
Legislative:
(163A)
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Le Sénat (non encore mis en place)
- L'Assemblée Nationale
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unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (180 seats; members are elected
by direct popular vote to serve five-year
terms; note—the president can either
lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature)
elections: last held 11 May 1997 (next to
be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party
NA; seats by party CDPM 109, SDF 43, UNDP
13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note 7
contested seats will be filled in an election
at a time to be set by the Supreme Court
note: the constitution calls for an upper
chamber for the legislature, to be called
Senate, which the government proposed to establish
in 1998 |
Executive:
(163B)
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Le Président de la République
- Le Gouvernement (qui a pour chef le Prémier
Ministre)
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chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since
6 November 1982)
head of government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany
MUSONGE (since 19 September 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote
for a seven-year term; election last held
12 October 1997 (next to be held NA October
2004); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Paul BIYA reelected;
percent of vote Paul BIYA 93%; note supporters
of the opposition candidates boycotted the
elections, making a comparison of vote shares
relatively meaningless |
Judicial:
(163C)
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La cour suprême comprenant trois chambres
: une chambre judiciaire, une chambre administrative,
une chambre des comptes.
- Les cours et tribunaux.
Il existe également, bien que ne faisant
pas constitutionnellement partie du pouvoir
judiciaire :
- un Conseil Constitutionnel (non encore officiellement
mis en place)
- une Haute Cour de Justice
- Organisme Consultatif : le Conseil Economique
et Social
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Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the
president |
| What
legislation defines and governs the national
public service? When was it last modified?
(164) |
Pas
de lois, mais des textes règlementaires
- Accessoirement, le Code de Travail (1992) |
| What
regulations and/or guidelines govern the national
public service? When was it last modified?
(165) |
Statut
général de la Fonction publique
: dernière modification: decrét
du 19 Octobre 1994.
Statuts spéciaux: Magistrature, Armée,
police, administration penitentiaire. Les
statuts particuliers des differents corps
respectent les dispositions du statut général.
- Decrét 78/484 rélatif aux
personnels contractuels ou décisionnaire
(1978)
- Statut du corps des auxilaires de l'administration
(corps colonial en extinction). |
What
collective agreements are binding on the national
public service? When were they last negotiated?
Which parties were involved? (166)
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Code
du Travail : dernière modification
14 Août 1992. Plusieurs conventions
collectives intervenues; mais elles ne concernent
que le secteur privé et le secteur
para-public.
Parties: Etat ou son mandataire / employeurs,
travailleurs à travers leurs syndicats
et leurs Délégués du
personnel.
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1998
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1993
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1988
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Source |
| Number
of ministries and independent statutory agencies |
27
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20
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20
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UNDESA |
| Central government organigram (by UNDESA): |
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| Political
History |
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Cameroon
reverted to a multiparty system in 1992
after a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience.
A new accommodation between the ruling party
and most of its rivals has eased tensions
considerably, although the president since
1982, Paul Biya, continues to dominate the
political environment. Consensus politics
and deft political management under Cameroon's
first president, Ahmadou Ahidjo, helped
promote the conditions for sustained political
stability and buoyant economic growth in
the two decades that followed independence.
1961,
the southern portion of British-ruled Cameroon
voted to join the newly independent Cameroon
republic in a plebiscite, while the northern
portion opted to join neighbouring Nigeria.
Ahidjo sought to promote a common sense
of nationalism and Cameroonian identity,
bringing together an array of groups that
represented different regional and ethnic
interests into the Union nationale camerounaise
(UNC), which he formed in 1966. In a further
move to bury the country's distinct colonial
legacy, in 1972 the government sponsored
a referendum that overwhelmingly approved
the dissolution of the old federation of
former British- and French-ruled Cameroon,
in favour of a unitary state entitled the
Republique unie du Cameroun.
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Re-elected
for five years in 1980, Ahidjo resigned
suddenly in November 1982 and handed over
the presidency to his constitutional successor,
the prime minister, Paul Biya. After initial
uncertainty and tension, by the mid-1980s
Mr Biya had succeeded in consolidating his
position.
A
legislative election in May 1997 was marred
by numerous irregularities and intimidation,
and was conducted with a highly defective
voter registration list. The RDPC won 109
of 180 seats in the assembly, while the
SDF acquired 43, having decided against
a boycott. Both the SDF and the northern-based
Union nationale pour la democratie et le
progres (UNDP) boycotted the presidential
election in October, and Mr. Biya was easily
re- elected, although divisions later emerged
and the UNDP joined a new coalition government.
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| Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) has assumed a central place in debates about corruption. It is used by economists, academics, business people and journalists. The growing importance of the CPI has stimulated interest in the methods used to compile it each year. This document, complementing the publication of the 1999 CPI and the press materials published with it, provides an in-depth explanation of the methodology.
The goal of the CPI is to provide data on extensive perceptions of corruption within countries. This is a means of enhancing understanding of levels of corruption from one country to another. It does not attempt to assess the degree of corruption practiced by nationals outside their own countries. This is a separate phenomenon and a separate instrument, the Bribe Payers Propensity Index (BPI), is published this year for the first time.
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