National Assembly: Lawmaking chamber where Biya violates laws!.

Biya, who has been at the helm of state since November 6, 1982, has come under scathing criticisms from millions across the country.

The veteran leader, described by critics as a-permanently-holidaying Head of State, is being faulted for failing to convene by-elections in constituencies where some lawmakers have died as required by the by the country’s Electoral Code. This he has been doing for the past four decades of his leadership.

Convening by-elections, keen observers of the political landscape say and rightly so, would help fill the 12 vacant seats at the National Assembly, following the death of MPs, since the start of the 10^th legislature.

Worth recalling is the fact that all the 12 MPs who have died since 2020, are from Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, party. The said lawmakers of the current legislature were voted into office February 9, 2020.

Inhabitants of the vacant constituencies across the country say they have literally been orphaned with nobody to lobby for development projects for their communities.

Observers are now wondering why President Biya, who has the latitude to convene by-elections to fill the vacant constituencies, is still looking away.

Biya who has been in power for four decades and still counting, is on record to have never organised by-elections since coming to power.

Though the situation has been different in the past legislatives years, the current situation, of 12 MPs dead, critics are now saying, is alarming. Already, political analysts are wondering if these positions will be left vacant for the next two years, when the mandate of the current MPs will expire.

Inhabitants of these vacant constituencies have been continuously expressing worries over their development projects. According to them, without filling the vacant positions, they are cut off from government’s national development drive.

Deaths at National Assembly

Since the start of the 10^th legislature, the National Assembly has been repeatedly mourning its members.

The cold hands of death appears to have elected permanent residence at the lawmaking institution and on the ruling CPDM party in particular.

From July 2020, the CPDM has lost 12 of its lawmakers to the cold hands of death. The first was Hon Harouna Abdoulaye of the Mayo Louti Constituency in the North Region. The MP died July 22, 2020. Barely a month later, on August 9, 2020, was the death of Hon Saraou Bernadette of Mayo-Kani Constituency in the North Region.

The year ended on a sad note with the death of Hon Yacouba Yaya of Mayo Sava in the Far North Region. That was on December 13, 2020.

The year 2021 also started on a sad note for the CPDM party. Death snatched the party’s MP for Mayo Tsanaga Constituency in the Far North Region, Hon Djibrilla Kaou. He died on February 12, 2021.

Less than a month after, the party lost another MP, Hon Prince Mikody Ange Gilbert of the Boumba and Ngoko in the East Region. The MP died March 24, 2021.

At the time the lawmaking institution was still mourning, Hon Mondjowa Lifaka Emilia of Fako West, in the South West Region, also dropped dead. The National Assembly Vice President died April 20, 2021.

This was followed by the death of Hon Isaac Ngahane of Wouri-East in the Littoral on July 31, 2021. The Lower House of Parliament was left in a mourning mood when on May 24, 2021, Hon Ngo Yetha Marinette passed onto to glory.

The cold hands of death did not give a break as barely a month later, it also snatched Hon Ngaba Zogo Salome of Lekie-East Constituency in the Centre Region on August 15, 2021.

Like was the case in 2021, death equally visited the National Assembly in December 2022. On March 20, 2022, it snatched Hon Fadimatou Sambo of Mayo-Rey Constituency in the North Region.

At the close of the year, the death was also announced of Hon Tak Bienvenu of Lom and Djerem Constituency in the East Region. The MP died December 12, 2022.

Just days back, the death was announced of CPDM Parliamentary Group Leader, Hon Ndongo Essomba Jean Bernard of the Lekie-East Constituency in the Centre Region.

What the law says on replacing vacant seats

Biya is considered by critics as a blatant violator of Section 155 (I) of the Electoral Code that provides for the convening of by-elections to fill the vacant seats at the Lower House of Parliament.

“Where one or two more seats become vacant in a constituency, either because of the death, resignation of the substantive or alternate member, or for any other reason, by-elections shall be held within a period of 12 months following the occurrence of the vacancy,” the aforementioned section states. 

Section 155 (2) specifies that “by-elections shall be held in the electoral constituency in the manner specified in Sections 153 and 154,” while Section 155 (3) indicates that “where a seat becomes definitely vacant in an electoral constituency with many seats, there shall be a single ballot”.

The same section in sub section (4) clarifies that in such a situation, only the political parties that took part in the general elections in the constituency shall be allowed to take part in the by-elections.

The Electoral Code in Section 155 (5) however indicates that by-elections shall not be held “if the vacancy occurs less than a year before the end of the legislative period”.

Parliament seeks intervention of ancestors

The rising number of deaths that has hit the current legislature featured in the speech of House Speaker, Rt Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, during the opening of the June session of parliament in 2021. He had used the session to call on the gods of the land to come to the rescue of MPs.

“The National Assembly has since the start of the 10^th Legislative period, a year ago, had the worst death toll in just one year. It has lost seven of its members. This unprecedented spade of deaths now warrants me to implore the gods to come to our rescue and to protect us,” Cavaye had pleaded.