Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)
There Are Disagreements Even In The Cameroon Opposition, As To What Is Legally Supposed To Happen, If The Office Of President Of The Republic Becomes Vacant, Today, When The Vice President Has Not Been Appointed. This Indicates The State Of Confusion, Uncertainty And Fear In Which Many Cameroonians, And Foreign Investors In Cameroon, Are In Today.
The big worry of many concerned Cameroonians, foreign investors in Cameroon, is the uncertainty or confusion as to what is supposed to legally happen in Cameroon today, in case of a vacancy at the office of the President of the Republic. Law No. 2026 / 002 of 14 April 2026 that modified Cameroon’s Constitution by creating the post of Vice President of the Republic, states among other things that in case of vacancy in the office of the President of the Republic, the Vice President takes over the post of President of the Republic, and completes the mandate of his predecessor, before organizing a presidential election. This means that if all were to go well, the next presidential election in Cameroon will only hold in 2032.
Meanwhile, according to Article 38 (1, 2 and 3)) of the Law No. 2026 / 002 of 14 April, 2026, if the President of the Republic for example decides to resign or quit office, he has to address his resignation letter to the Vice President of the Republic and the President of the Constitutional Council. The Vice President of the Republic will in turn address a correspondence to the President of the Constitutional Council, on the resignation of the President of the Republic. The Constitutional Council will then formally take note of the resignation of the President of the Republic, and then take measures for the Vice President to be sworn in as President of the Republic.
But as aforementioned, there is a big uncertainty as to what would happen, if today the office of the President of the Republic is vacant, since up till date, the Vice President has not been appointment. More so, it is only the President of the Republic, who has the constitutional power to appoint the Vice President.
Disagreement Even In The Opposition Rank, Over The Issue
There are already disagreements or division in public debates, and even in the ranks of the Cameroon opposition, as to what is legally supposed to happen, if the office of the President of the Republic happens to become e vacant today, when there is no Vice President in office. These disagreements or division on this issue indicates the confusion, or even fear in the minds of many people, including investors, on the situation in which Cameroon finds itself today.
Talking about disagreements or divergent views in the opposition rank, some opposition figures like Hon Cabral Libii Ngue, the National President Of PCRN, and Jean Robert Wafo, the National Communication Secretary of Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu’s FCC Party, among others, have expressed the view that there will be a big problem for the country, since the Vice President has not been appointed. This school of thought argues that following the modification of the Constitution with Law No. 2026 / 002 of 14 April 2026, only the Vice President can legally take over the office of President of the Republic , in case of vacancy. But then up till today, President Biya has not appointed a Vice President.
But the MP3 Party whose President is Hiram Samuel Iyodi, candidate at the October 12, 2025 presidential election, as well as some others, argue that since the Vice President has not yet been appointed, following the modification of the Constitution last June, it means that Law No. 2026 / 002 of 14 April, 2026, has not yet been implement. To this school of thought, if there is vacancy in Cameroon today, the old Law will be applied, since the new Law has not yet been implemented. This situation, according to this school of thought, means that if there is vacancy today in Cameroon, when the Vice President has yet been appointed, the old Law will be implemented. This means that in case of vacancy today, the President of the Senate would take over the office of President of the Republic for a maximum period of 120 days, during which a presidential election will be organized. But as earlier indicated, a part of the Cameroon opposition, hold a different view.
