Ministers and party officials in Cameroon are openly divided over President Paul Biya’s potential candidacy in the October elections. Yves Tuya, a resident of the country’s capital, Yaoundé, says the country lacks governance as no one firmly addresses national issues.
According to him, the party’s internal battles have started to raise questions about the party’s legitimacy. The party, called Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), is now seen as a lawless government by the capital’s residents.
Tuya asserts that silence by the Republic’s president, Paul Biya, is the driving force behind the country’s disorder. Meanwhile, political analyst Lataga Atagana blames leadership void, undefined direction, and succession uncertainty within the party.
According to the expert, political transition is now unavoidable ahead of the October general elections. Furthermore, she noted that the crisis represents an open fracture within the party, rather than hidden dissent.
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She further revealed that former allies of opposition parties across the country have decided to transform the country’s political scene. Observers report that the party’s internal breakup could give the opposition a chance to end CPDM’s 43 years of undisputed dominance.
Historical Background
CPDM, formerly the Cameroonian National Union, is renamed in 1985 after significant political unrest and several violent clashes. The party, formed in 1966, merged with four small parties and major political organizations in the cardinal points of Cameroon.
The party sponsored labor, youth programs, and provided candidate lists for the 1973, 1978, and 1983 legislative elections. Notably, Ahmadou Ahidjo served as the first head of the ruling party from 1966 until his resignation as the nation’s president in 1982.
After being renamed in 1985, CPDM won 88 of the 180 seats in the March 1992 parliamentary election in the country. The current president subsequently won his opponent with 40% in the October 1992 presidential election.
