Cameroon: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon conventional short form: Cameroon local long form: Republique du Cameroun/Republic of Cameroon local short form: Cameroun/Cameroon former: French Cameroon, British Cameroon, Federal Republic of Cameroon, United Republic of Cameroon etymology: in the 15th century, Portuguese explorers named the area near the mouth of the Wouri River the Rio dos Camaroes (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp in the water; over time the designation became Cameroon in English; this is the only instance where a country is named afer a crustacean |
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| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | Yaounde
Yaounde
geographic coordinates: 3 52 N, 11 31 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 10 regions (regions, singular - region); Adamaoua, Centre, East (Est), Far North (Extreme-Nord), Littoral, North (Nord), North-West (Nord-Ouest), West (Ouest), South (Sud), South-West (Sud-Ouest) |
| Independence | 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
| National holiday | State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) |
| Constitution | several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996; amended 2008 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Cameroon dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 20 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Philemon YANG (since 30 June 2009) cabinet: Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 9 October 2011 (next to be held in October 2018); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 78.0%, John FRU NDI (SDF) 10.7%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.2%, other 8.1% |
| Legislative branch | description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (100 seats; 70 members indirectly elected by regional councils and 30 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms) and the National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms); note - the 100-member Senate was formed at the time of the April 2013 election elections: Senate last held on 14 April 2013 (next to be held in 2018); National Assembly last held on 30 September 2013 (next to be held in 2018) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 56, SDF 14; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CPDM 73.1%, SDF 17.6%, UNDP 6.1%, UDC 2.5%, other 0.7%; seats by party - CPDM 148, SDF 18, UNDP 5, UDC 4, UPC 3, other 2 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly; judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for single 9-year terms subordinate courts: Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrate's courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM (Paul BIYA) Cameroon People's Party or CPP (Edith Kah WALLA) Cameroon Renaissance Movement or MRC (Maurice KAMTO) Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC (Adamou Ndam NJOYA) Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR (Dakole DAISSALA) Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon or MLDC (Marcel YONDO) National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP (Maigari BELLO BOUBA) Progressive Movement or MP (Jean-Jacques EKINDI) Social Democratic Front or SDF (John FRU NDI) Union of Peoples of Cameroon or UPC (Provisionary Management Bureau) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa or REDHAC (Maximilliene Ngo MBE) Tribunal 53 (Patrice NGANANG) |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, C, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Essomba ETOUNDI (since 27 June 2016) chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; current temporary address - 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (1) (202) 265-8790 FAX: (1) (202) 387-3826 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Stephen HOZA (since 19 September 2014) embassy: Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaounde mailing address: P.O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: (237) 22220 1500; Consular: (237) 22220 1603 FAX: (237) 22220 1500 Ext. 4531; Consular FAX: (237) 22220 1752 branch office(s): Douala |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the sun, happiness, and the savannahs in the north, and green hope and the forests in the south; the star is referred to as the "star of unity" note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia |
| National symbol(s) | lion; national colors: green, red, yellow |
| National anthem | name: "O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers) lyrics/music: Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O (French), Benard Nsokika FONLON (English)/Rene Djam AFAME note: adopted 1957; Cameroon's anthem, also known as "Chant de Ralliement" (The Rallying Song), has been used unofficially since 1948 and officially adopted in 1957; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ |