Lion; national colors: green, red, yellow.
Title | "O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers) |
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Lyric/music | Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O [French], Benard Nsokika FONLON [English]/Rene Djam AFAME |
Date of Independence | 1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship) |
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National holiday | State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972) |
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 |
Constitution | |
History | Several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996 |
Amendments | Proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; amendment drafts require approval of at least one third of the membership in either house of Parliament; passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership; passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership; the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority; constitutional articles on Cameroon’s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended; amended 2008 |
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 |
Executive Branch | |
Chief of state | President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) |
Head of government | Prime Minister Joseph NGUTE (since 4 January 2019) |
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 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2025); prime minister appointed by the president |
Election results | 2018: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 71.3%, Maurice KAMTO (MRC) 14.2%, Cabral LIBII (Univers) 6.3%, other 8.2% 2011: 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% (2018) |
Legislative branch | |
Description | Bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of: Senate or Senat (100 seats; 70 members indirectly elected by regional councils and 30 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members directly elected in 49 single and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) |
Elections | Senate - last held on 12 March 2023 (next to be held in 2028) National Assembly - last held on 9 February 2020 (next to be held 28 February 2025) |
Election results | Senate - percent of vote by party - CDPM 100%; seats by party - CDPM 100; composition - men 69, women 31, percentage women 31% National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPDM 152, UNDP 7, SDF 5, PCRN 5, UDC 4, FSNC 3, MDR 2, UMS 2; composition - men 119, women 61, percentage women 33.9%; total Parliament percentage women 51.1% note: 13 National Assembly seats were vacant after the 9 February 2020 election due to violence in northwest and southwest regions; CDPM won those seats in a 22 March 2020 election |
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 renewable 6-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 magistrates' courts |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Henri ETOUNDI ESSOMBA (since 27 June 2016) |
Chancery | 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 265-8790 |
FAX | [1] (202) 387-3826 |
Email address and website | mail@cameroonembassyusa Cameroon Embassy in Washington DC, USA (cameroonembassyusa.org) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Christopher J. LAMORA (since 21 March 2022) |
Embassy | Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaoundé |
Mailing address | 2520 Yaounde Place, Washington, DC 20521-2520 |
Telephone | [237] 22251-4000/[237] 22220-1500 |
FAX | [237] 22220-1500, Ext. 4531 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://cm.usembassy.gov/ |
Branch office(s) | Douala |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 2 (both natural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Dja Faunal Reserve; Sangha Trinational Forest |
Want to know more about Cameroon? Check all different factbooks for Cameroon below.