Cameroon Set to Name First Vice President in Biya’s 43-Year Tenure

Cameroon’s parliament has approved a constitutional amendment to create the post of vice president for the first time in President Paul Biya’s 43-year rule. Lawmakers voted 200 to 18, with four abstentions, in a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate. Under the new rules, the vice president will be appointed and dismissed by the president and will serve the remainder of the seven-year term. The VP will automatically assume power if Biya dies, resigns or becomes incapacitated. Interim leaders will be barred from amending the constitution or running in the next election. The Social Democratic Front, with six seats in parliament, boycotted the vote. It had argued for a joint election of president and vice president and a power-sharing formula between English and French-speaking regions. The party called the changes a missed chance for true reform.

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