Cameroon’s President Paul Biya has scheduled parliamentary and municipal elections for Sunday, 7 February 2027, following two postponements that extended the terms of representatives elected in 2020.


President Biya signed Decree No. 2026/345 on Monday, 9 November, calling voters to elect National Assembly members and municipal councillors. Polling stations will open from 8am to 6pm local time, with both elections taking place on the same day.


The Cameroon elections follow successive extensions of parliamentary and municipal mandates and come amid political tensions surrounding the disputed October 2025 presidential vote.

Elections follow repeated mandate extensions


Cameroon initially expected to hold parliamentary and municipal elections in 2025, when the five-year terms of representatives elected in February 2020 were due to end.


Successive extensions moved the expiry of the National Assembly’s mandate to 20 December 2026 and municipal councillors’ terms to 28 February 2027.


President Biya first extended municipal councillors’ mandates in July 2024, allowing them to remain in office until 31 May 2026. A further extension prolonged their terms until February 2027.


Opposition parties have criticised the delays, arguing that they have prevented voters from renewing their elected representatives.

Voters to elect lawmakers and municipal councillors


The parliamentary election will determine the composition of Cameroon’s 180-seat National Assembly. President Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, also known by its French abbreviation RDPC, won 152 seats in the 2020 legislative elections.


Municipal elections will determine the membership of local councils, whose responsibilities include local administration and development. The elected councillors will subsequently choose municipal leaders, including mayors.


Elections Cameroon, the country’s election management body, will organise and supervise the polls. Its responsibilities include electoral registration and preparations for voting.


The Electoral Code requires the president to convene the electorate at least 90 days before polling day.

Presidential election dispute shapes political backdrop


The announcement comes more than a year after Cameroon’s presidential election on 12 October 2025.


The Constitutional Council declared President Biya the winner with 53.66 per cent of the vote. Opposition leader Issa Tchiroma Bakary rejected the result and claimed victory.


Protests followed the announcement. Human Rights Watch reported killings and mass arrests during the unrest and called for investigations into alleged abuses by security forces.


President Biya has governed Cameroon since 1982.

Ministry suspends opposition party


The Ministry of Territorial Administration suspended the activities of opposition leader Tchiroma Bakary’s Cameroon National Salvation Front on 27 October 2026.


The three-month suspension prohibits the party from conducting activities throughout Cameroon. The ministry accused the organisation of inciting violence, encouraging insurrection and threatening public order.


The suspension covers part of the preparation period for the February parliamentary and municipal elections.

Constitutional reform restores vice-presidency


The electoral announcement also follows constitutional changes adopted in April 2026 that restored the position of vice-president.


The revised arrangements give the president authority to appoint the vice-president. The governing party has presented the reform as part of efforts to modernise state institutions and strengthen continuity.


Voters will elect National Assembly members and municipal councillors on 7 February, three weeks before the extended municipal mandates expire on 28 February.