Municipal election: Parliament empowers Biya to confiscate election calendar.

Bill No. 2093/PJL/AN, was adopted at both the National Assembly and the Senate, without any resistance, on Saturday, April 4, 2026.

Both houses organised sessions late into the night last Saturday, shortly after overwhelmingly amending the Constitution to reintroduce the post of Vice President same day, during the sixth Congress of Parliament.

The Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, defended the bill in both houses of Parliament, before MPs okayed it, giving President Paul Biya limitless power to abridge or extend the mandate of municipal councillors.

The adoption saw the amendment of Section 170 (2) of Law No.20212/001 of 19 April 2012, relating to the Electoral Code.

The provision, before last Saturday, gave the Head of State, Paul Biya, a maximum period of 18 months, to extend the mandate of municipal councillors.

Section 170 (2) of the Electoral Code, which MPs modified at the request of the Head of State, now reads “…however, if need be, the President of the Republic may by decree extend or abridge the term of office of municipal councillors, after consultation with the government and the bureau of the Senate”.

‘We’re living in a difficult world’

Commenting on the amendment after facing Senators at the Upper House of Parliament, Minister Atanga Nji told reporters that the Head of State can now use his discretion to extend the mandate of municipal councillors, especially given the challenges of the time.

“This famous Article 170 gave a limit on the extension of the mandate of municipal councillors. The new version gives no limitation, so the President of the Republic using his discretional powers can decide to extend for one, two, three, or four months, so that if need be, parliamentary and municipal elections can take place the same day,” he said.

The MINAT boss argued that “…we are living in a world of difficulties, were we have unforeseen circumstances. It is better to organise municipal and legislative elections at the same time, to avoid unnecessary expenditure”.

He debunked claims that with the amendment, the President can decide to extend the mandate of municipal councillors for as long as he wants. Atanga Nji rather argued that Biya, as “a guarantor of the Constitution, will not extend in such a way that it is above the normal mandate of five years.”

The member of government described his encounters with lawmakers on the floor of both houses of parliament as constructive.

Everything now at Biya’s beg & call

After las Saturday’s adoption, analysts say everything relating to when the next municipal election will take place in Cameroon is at the mercy of President Paul Biya.

Biya had returned to Parliament after first making use of 15 of the 18 months, which the old provision of Article 170 (2) of the Electoral Code gave him to extend the mandate of municipal councillors.

He had done that through a decree on July 24, 2024, to institute a 15-month extension. The extension is set to expire on May 31, 2026.

Under the old provision, Biya had a window of just three months to extend the mandate again, which was naturally going to end on August 25, 2026.

With the obstacle now clear, he becomes the Decider-in-Chief of how long he desires to extend the mandate of municipal councillors.

Many are now expecting the President to, in the coming days, make use of the new empowerment to decide for how long he will extend the mandate of municipal councillors again.

Six months mandate extension in view

In the face of criticisms over the adjustment, analysts are already projecting a six-month extension in the mandate of municipal councillors.

This, many are saying, could be inferred from members of the National Assembly having adopted Bill No. 2092/PJL/AN on March 23, 2026, extending their mandate to December 20, 2026.

The adopted bill has given MPs nine additional months to stay on.  They had first extended the mandate to expire on March 31, 2026.

Putting this into perspective and Minister Atanga Nji’s declaration that the government is looking at organising the twin polls at the same time, many say they see Biya giving municipal councillors six extra months to stay on.

If this happens, he could sign such a decree in the coming days, extending the mandate of municipal councillors to December 2026.

Such a scenario will leave the political spectrum preparing for twin polls in the first quarter of 2027.

Having been voted into office on February 9, 2020, with the first session as of right, on the 25th of the same month, the mandate of municipal councillors is supposed to have ended on February 25, 2025.

Other amendments to tie with modified Constitution

Beyond Article 170, MPs also adopted the bill adjusting Articles 142, 142, 144, 145 and 146 of the Electoral Code. Atanga Nji and his delegation told MPs that the adjustments are to accommodate the amendment of certain provisions of the 1996 Constitution, during the 6th Congress of Parliament.

The key change of the amendment was the reintroduction of the post of Vice President of the Republic. The said articles relate to succession in case of vacancy at the helm of State.

With the bill to reintroduce the post of Vice Preside now awaiting enactment into law, officials say there was urgent need to fit changes to ensure coherence.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3753 of Tuesday April 07, 2026