Cameroon approves reintroduction of VP post

Cameroon’s Parliament on Saturday overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to reintroduce the position of Vice-President, a measure the government says will ensure continuity but which the opposition say will consolidate executive power. In a joint session of the ruling party-dominated National Assembly and Senate, legislators voted 200 to 18 in favour, with four abstentions, to pass the Bill, reports Business Day. The Bill stipulates that the Vice-President will automatically assume the presidency if President Paul Biya dies, resigns or becomes incapacitated. Biya (93) has led the oil and cocoa-producing Central African country since 1982 and is the world’s oldest serving head of state. Public discussion about his health is banned. According to the legislation, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, the Vice-President will be appointed and dismissed by the President, serving for the remainder of the President’s seven-year term. However, the interim leader would be prohibited from initiating constitutional changes or running in a subsequent election. The government has argued that the reform is intended to safeguard institutional stability in case of a sudden leadership vacancy. Biya has 15 days to promulgate the Bill. Critics, including opposition legislators, argue the amendment weakens democratic institutions and worsens centralisation. The reintroduction of the Vice-Presidency marks Cameroon’s first major constitutional revision since 2008 when presidential term limits were scrapped in a move that sparked nationwide protests, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces. The Vice-Presidency was previously part of Cameroon’s governance structure but was abolished in 1972 after a constitutional referendum.