Cameroon sets February 7 date for twice-delayed legislative and local elections

Cameroon has set February 7 next year for its long-delayed legislative and local elections, ending months of uncertainty over the timing of the vote. The announcement was made by President Paul Biya in a decree read on public radio on Monday. The polls had already been postponed twice, and the new date now places them more than a year after the country's last presidential election.

Biya, who is 93, has ruled Cameroon since 1982 and is the world's oldest head of state. His re-election in October last year triggered widespread protests, which authorities met with a crackdown. Lawyers cited by Human Rights Watch said security forces detained up to 2,000 people, and some remain in custody, according to the AFP news agency.

The decree on the election date comes as the government continues to face scrutiny over its handling of the opposition. The postponements have had direct institutional consequences. Lawmakers' terms were extended to December 20, while municipal councillors' mandates were pushed to February 28, 2027.

The delay has also kept attention on other unresolved political questions, including a government reshuffle announced nearly a year ago and the appointment of a vice president. A constitutional reform reintroduced that post in April, and the holder would be expected to succeed Biya if he dies. The election timetable matters because it comes at a sensitive moment in Cameroon's political transition debate.

Questions about Biya's health have continued to circulate, fuelled by his frequent stays abroad, although public discussion of his condition has been banned since 2024. His return to Yaounde in late August after more than two months in Geneva drew criticism from the opposition. The delayed local and legislative polls are therefore being watched not only as a routine electoral exercise, but also as part of a wider test of political control and succession planning.

The latest decree also follows a period of heightened pressure on opposition figures and parties. Last month, the authorities suspended the Cameroon National Salvation Front, the party of defeated opposition presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary. Bakary later went into exile in the Gambia after declaring himself the election winner and urging supporters to defend his "victory".

Those developments have added to concerns about the political environment in which the next parliamentary and municipal contests will be held. What remains unclear is how the authorities will manage the campaign period, whether the opposition will be able to organise freely, and whether the vote will proceed on the announced date after two previous delays. It is also not yet clear when the promised reshuffle and vice-presidential appointment will happen.

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