In Cameroon, the mandate of parliamentarians has been extended until December 20, 2026, a decision justified by financial and organizational constraints. This extension, voted on March 19, 2026, by the National Assembly, comes after an initial extension and raises questions about the country's democratic functioning.
Elected in January 2020 for a five-year term, the 180 parliamentarians are seeing their initial mandate significantly exceeded. Article 15(4) of the Constitution, which authorizes the Head of State to extend the mandate of parliamentarians in the event of a serious crisis or exceptional circumstances, is being invoked. However, the repeated use of this provision raises questions about its transformation into an ordinary political management tool.
This decision comes in a tense political context, marked by the contested re-election of President Paul Biya in October 2025. The opponent Issa Tchiroma Bakary had claimed victory, denouncing a "masquerade". Irregularities were noted by the Episcopal Conference of Cameroon during this election.
MP Jean-Michel Nintcheu criticized the lack of legitimacy of parliamentarians whose mandate has been extended several times. Observers believe that the postponement of the legislative elections, combined with the extension of the parliamentarians' mandate, neutralizes any possibility that the Assembly reflects the reality on the ground.
This situation raises the question of the credibility of the Cameroonian democratic process. The country finds itself with a president re-elected in a contested election and a parliament whose legitimacy is questioned. The extension of the parliamentarians' mandate, justified by financial and organizational reasons, comes in a context of political tensions and criticism of the transparency of the elections.
The parliamentary mandate extension was justified by the authorities as a necessity to alleviate the financial pressure on the State and allow for better preparation for the next elections. Organizational, logistical and security constraints were also mentioned as reasons for this postponement.
The question remains whether these successive postponements and the repeated invocation of exceptional circumstances are not transforming constitutional rules into mere political management tools, to the detriment of the popular will. The next elections in Cameroon will therefore be closely scrutinized to assess the vitality of its democracy.
Initially scheduled for 2025, then postponed to March 30, 2026, the elections are now expected no later than December 20, 2026.
