President Paul Biya has called Cameroon elections for parliament and councils on 7 February 2027, ending two postponements, according to a decree signed on 9 November.
The vote will renew the 180-seat National Assembly and the councils of 360 communes, and comes weeks after the authorities suspended the party of the main opposition candidate in the 2025 presidential election.
What does the decree set out for the Cameroon elections?
The decree summoning the electorate fixes polling for Sunday 7 February 2027, according to Cameroonian outlets KOACI and 237online. Parties have 15 days, until 24 November, to file candidate lists with Elections Cameroon (Elecam), and campaigning ends at midnight on 6 February.
The provisional electoral register lists 8,238,778 voters, including 252,830 added in an annual revision completed on 31 August, according to Elecam data cited in the reports.
A second decree signed the same day renewed the mandates of several members of the Elecam board, including its president, Enow Abrams Egbe, Cameroonian media reported.
Why were Cameroon’s elections postponed?
Deputies elected in 2020 for five years had their mandates extended, and the reports say these now run to 20 December 2026. The mandates of municipal councillors have been extended to 28 February 2027. Africanews reported in 2024 that the assembly had voted to extend the deputies’ term until 2026, after which the polls slipped again.
What is the political context for the vote?
Mr Biya won the October 2025 presidential election with 53.7 per cent of the vote, according to results announced by the Constitutional Council on 27 October 2025. His main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, was defeated in that vote.
In late October this year the territorial administration minister suspended Mr Tchiroma’s Cameroon National Salvation Front (FSNC) for three months for “calling for insurrection”, the reports said. That is the authorities’ description of the grounds. It is not clear whether the party can field candidates before the 24 November deadline, and we could not find a response from the opposition to the decree.
What happens next?
Elecam is due to publish a detailed timetable for the polls. The 24 November deadline for candidate lists is the first test of how open the contest will be. Cameroon is one of several African states where election timetables have been repeatedly adjusted; for another post-election dispute, see DNE Africa’s report on South Africa’s local elections.
FAQ
When are Cameroon’s legislative and local elections?
They are set for Sunday 7 February 2027, under a decree signed by President Paul Biya on 9 November.
How many seats and councils are up for election?
The vote will renew the 180 seats of the National Assembly and the councils of 360 communes, according to Cameroonian media reports.
What is the deadline for candidate lists?
Parties must submit lists to Elections Cameroon by 24 November 2026.
Why was the FSNC suspended?
The territorial administration minister suspended the party for three months in late October for “calling for insurrection”, according to media reports. The party’s response was not available.
