Democratic Implications of Extending Municipal Councillors’ Mandate in Cameroon

By Enowbachem Agbortanyi

Executive Summary

Members of Cameroon’s municipal councils were elected in February 2020, with a mandate of five years. On May 4, 2026, President Paul Biya issued a decree extending their tenure until February 28, 2027, with the exception that new elections are held before that date. This decision was preceded by another one in 2024. Recently in Cameroon, the general practice of adjusting the electoral calendar for the legislative and municipal polls is all too common.

This move has sparked discussions about democracy, constitutionalism, decentralization, and the dominance of the executive in the Cameroonian political system. While the government defends the move through legal and administrative arguments, there are concerns that the continuous deferment of elections undermines the legitimacy of the democratic process and fosters exceptionalism in governance. This paper analyzes the democratic significance of the decision and recommends measures to protect election integrity and democracy.

Key Messages

• Extending the mandates of municipal councillors in Cameroon raises concerns about democratic legitimacy by limiting opportunities for the renewal of political mandates.
• Increased presidential powers via amendment of the electoral code raise concerns that such provisions may allow repeated extensions of mandates and affect perceptions of electoral predictability.
• Delayed local elections may affect decentralization and local governance by compromising citizen accountability, increasing voter apathy, and decreasing citizen trust in democratic processes.
• Key measures to protect democracy include ensuring constitutional limitation of mandate extension, judicial and electoral monitoring, holding consultative forums with all stakeholders, and increased citizen participation in the electoral process.

Background and context

Elected in February 2020, the current municipal councillors in Cameroon were expected to serve for five years, until 2025. However, their mandate was extended to May 2026 following a presidential decree. Paul Biya talked of “decongesting” the electoral schedule, which entailed presidential, legislative, municipal, and regional elections.

The decree issued on 4 May 2026 extending the term further to February 2027 was made following consultations between the presidency, the government, and the Senate Bureau, under the country’s electoral process. Notably, the decision to extend the term of office was made amidst a political climate where election postponements were common practice. In addition, the legislature was deliberating on the possibility of amending laws regulating electoral processes to enhance presidential power. It is important to note that prior to extending the municipal councillors’ mandate, the President, on 25 March 2026, had signed a decree that extended the mandate of the members of parliament to 20 December 2026.

Indeed, the development is noteworthy in view of the role of municipal councils in the country’s decentralization program. Municipal councils are the nearest elected bodies to the people who are accountable for governance, service provision, development, and infrastructure within their municipalities. Their democratic legitimacy is therefore crucial to citizen trust in the state.

Legal basis vs democratic legitimacy

Those backing the new decree contend that it is within the law in accordance with the Electoral Code of Cameroon, which gives the president power to extend municipal election schedules under exceptional circumstances. The authorities cited reasons of governance, financial challenges, and logistical constraints.

Aside from legality, the issue of democratic legitimacy is still pertinent because democracies require more than legalities and procedures; there is a need to continually renew political mandates via competitive elections. Regular postponements of elections increase the chance for politicians to rule beyond their terms and mandates.

The challenge becomes even more complex when one considers the possibility of recurrence in the extension of mandates of elected officials.  In this light, then, the latest decree in 2026 is just part of the pattern emerging in Cameroon.

In most democracies around the world, postponing elections is acceptable only under exceptional circumstances such as national emergencies. This could be a war, a political and constitutional crisis, and a pandemic. Cameroon’s case is strange and interesting in that political and administrative concerns are the driving force behind postponing democratic processes.

Expansion of executive power

The amendment of Section 170 of the Electoral Code gave the President the power to extend the mandates of municipal councillors indefinitely, thus lifting the 18-month limit on extending local mandates. One of the major impacts of the May 2026 decree is the increased powers of the executive branch to control electoral processes. The constitution of Cameroon already consolidates great powers in the Presidency. The executive branch’s ongoing ability to influence election scheduling reinforces the reality of institutional imbalance.

The recent discussions in parliament regarding the amendments to the Electoral Code have escalated these issues. The reforms allegedly aim to eliminate restrictions on extending municipal mandates and enhance presidential powers in scheduling elections.

This concentration of authority has several democratic consequences:

1. Disruption of checks and balances

The legislature, judiciary, and electoral commission will become secondary players in protecting constitutional democracy if election timing is highly dependent on executive discretion.

2. Erosion of electoral certainty

Consistent electoral cycles are important for the stability of democracies. Changes to them cause unpredictability for political parties, civil society organizations, and citizens.

3. Loss of competitiveness

Opposition parties need electoral timelines to prepare for elections through recruitment, financing, alliance building, and nomination of candidates. Election postponements could benefit the incumbent government, which enjoys access to state resources.

4. Institutional personalization

The threat here is that the democratic process will become increasingly associated with the president. The cumulative effect is the gradual normalization of executive predominance over democratic timing and procedure.

Effects on decentralisation and local governance

Decentralization in Cameroon is aimed at bringing governance closest to the people and fostering local participation. It is in this context that municipal councils play an important role in democratic governance.

Mandating councillors without elections could affect the process of democratic governance in various ways:

Declining citizen accountability: Local elections enable people to either reward or punish local performance. In cases where the mandates are extended administratively, local leaders will continue exercising their power despite no new popular approval from the citizens.

Reduced civic participation: The continuous postponement of local elections and extension of councillors’ mandate can promote voter apathy and political disengagement among the citizens.  There would be a popular loss of trust in the electoral and political system.

Weakening of decentralisation credibility: Decentralisation reforms require trust that local institutions are representative. In the absence of elections to retain leaders in office, there is a danger that decentralization will be viewed as administrative rather than democratic.

These effects further worsen the context in some regions, like the Anglophone regions that are currently facing a conflict caused by governance issues that have led to a lack of trust in state institutions. Also, there has been a prevalent lack of trust in the electoral management bodies in Cameroon, especially by the opposition political parties and civil society groups. This new decree is likely to reinforce the public opinion that electoral rules are subject to political influence rather than neutral constitutional guidelines.

Regional and international dimension

The democratic journey of Cameroon is also significant for consideration from the perspective of regional and international affairs. The regional instruments of democracy in Africa, such as the African Union’s African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, stresses on holding regular elections and ensuring constitutional governance as key aspects of democracy.

Though postponing an election is constitutionally justified, repeated postponements may put Cameroon at variance with changing continental trends of democracy that encourage electoral predictability and democratic alternations.

Democratic governance at the international level is increasingly being measured by parameters such as electoral integrity, institutional independence, and political accountability. Thus, repeated extensions of mandates may adversely affect Cameroon’s democratic image and governance practices.

Policy recommendations

1. The parliament of Cameroon could consider amending Section 170 of the Electoral Code to reinstate the 18-month limit on the extension of mandates of municipal councillors.
2. The government should endeavour to consult with other key stakeholders, including CSOs, opposition parties, constitutional experts, and other local government associations, on the major electoral calendar change. This will enable inclusive participation in decision-making concerning the postponement of elections.
3. The administrative and constitutional courts should play a stronger role in reviewing the legality and proportionality of electoral postponements.
4. Civil society and media organizations should strengthen voter education and monitoring initiatives to improve public participation in electoral processes.
5. Strengthen the autonomy of election management bodies: Institutions responsible for organizing elections should possess greater operational and financial autonomy to reduce political influence over electoral scheduling.