PARLIAMENT’S ROOTS TRACING
Left: The National Assembly of Cameroon; Above: The Speaker (centre) speaking with the President of Cameroon, H.E. Paul Biya, (right) during the ceremony of giving New Year wishes to the Head of State. The Prime Minister of Cameroon, Hon. Philemon Yang looks on beside the Speaker
and the Legislative Assembly of West Cameroon (ALCAMOC). The peculiarity of the latter is that it was bicameral, that is it constituted of the West Cameroon House of Assembly and the House of Chiefs. In April 1962, the country’s parliamentary institution was called the National Federal Assembly, but ten years on in 1972, the reunification of the two federated States was proclaimed and the United Republic of Cameroon was born. On 2 June 1972, the new Constitution of the United Republic of Cameroon was promulgated into law. Article 12 of the new constitution provided for a single House of Parliament and the dissolution of all the other legislative bodies. The constitution of the National Assembly
of the United Republic of Cameroon on 18 May 1973 was recognized as a milestone in the country’s history. With the promulgation into law of the constitution as amended on 18 January 1996, the National Assembly once more underwent a significant and decisive evolution with the creation of the Senate and the dawn of the era of bicameralism. The existence of the National Assembly comprising 180 members elected by direct and secret universal suffrage for a five-year mandate and the Senate composed of 100 members of which 70 are elected by indirect universal suffrage on a regional basis and 30 appointed by the President of the Republic. The Senate was set up in 2013 following the organization
of the first ever senatorial elections in our country. There have been eight legislative
periods since the advent of the unitary State in 1972, the first four of which (1983-1992) were held during the one-party system. So far, the other legislative periods are identified with the era of multi-party politics in Cameroon. Seven political parties are represented in the National Assembly for this new Legislative Period, the 9th inaugurated in October 2013. The steering organs of the National Assembly include:
• The Bureau comprising the Speaker, the Senior Deputy Speaker, five Deputy Speakers, four Questors and twelve Secretaries; and
• The Secretariat General which is in charge of the administration of the institution.
On the other hand, five political
parties are represented in the pioneer Senate. Like the National Assembly, the Senate has two steering organs: the Bureau comprising 17 members, namely the President, the Senior Vice- President, four Vice-Presidents, three Questors, eight Secretaries and the Secretariat General which is also in charge of administrative affairs. Cameroon’s parliamentary
institution has, over the last 68 years, succeeded to assert itself and in the process contributed significantly to our country’s development and democratic outlook.
The Parliamentarian | 2014: Issue Three: Cameroon | 3
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