POLITICS · CAMEROON
Key Facts
- —The country Cameroon is a Central African country of six neighbours, ruled by Paul Biya, now 93, since 6 November 1982.
- —Why it matters A constitutional amendment promulgated on 14 April created a vice president who would finish the term if the presidency fell vacant. Six months later, nobody holds the post.
- —Why now On Tuesday 13 October, opposition lawmaker Cabral Libii warned of “chaos” if Biya became permanently unable to serve before a vice president is named.
- —What happened Libii says only a vice president can now ask the Constitutional Council to declare the presidency vacant. A lawyer and party leader disputes that reading of the April texts.
- —The numbers Parliament approved the amendment on 4 April by 200 votes to 18, with 4 abstentions. Without a vice president, an election must follow within 20 to 120 days.
- —What it means for you Washington rates Cameroon at Level 2 and warns that unrest can turn into political violence. A disputed succession would also test US health and security ties.
- —Still open Whether and when Biya will appoint a vice president, and who would act as interim president if the post stays empty.
Cabral Libii, a Cameroonian opposition lawmaker, has warned of chaos if President Paul Biya, 93, becomes permanently unable to serve. His point is that Biya has still not named the vice president a constitutional amendment created in April.
The warning, issued on Tuesday 13 October, matters well beyond Yaoundé, because Cameroon borders Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic. A disorderly transfer of power there would weigh on regional security, refugee flows and the risk premium foreign investors demand.
What Cabral Libii Said
Libii is national president of the Parti camerounais pour la réconciliation nationale (PCRN), an opposition party, and sits in the National Assembly. The state daily Cameroon Tribune notes that he finished third in the October 2025 presidential election.
In the statement, reported on Wednesday by Journal du Cameroun, he said Biya “is very advanced in age” and should name a vice president to assist him. Doing so, he argued, would shield the state from a “legal and chaotic impasse” if the president could no longer serve.
He accused “followers of chaos and political calculators” of fighting the appointment because they want a presidential election before 2032. “Our country could experience the most terrible explosion of its existence,” he warned.
In an address on social media covered by the news site Koaci, Libii said “they want chaos” and “they are blocking the appointment of a vice president.” He added that the sovereignty of the country was at stake in the power struggles at the top of the state.
Why the Empty Post Matters
Parliament, sitting as a joint Congress of both chambers, approved the amendment on Saturday 4 April by 200 votes to 18, with 4 abstentions. Cameroun Actuel reports that Biya promulgated it on Tuesday 14 April.
Under the new Article 6, quoted by the business daily EcoMatin, the vice president completes the term after the president’s death, resignation or confirmed permanent incapacity. If the post is not filled, an election must be held between 20 and 120 days after the vacancy opens.
The vice president is not elected but appointed by the president, who can also dismiss the holder at any time. Before the reform, the president of the Senate acted as interim head of state until a new election.
Libii’s core legal point is about procedure rather than personalities. Since August he has argued that a companion law of 14 April makes the vice president the only official able to ask the Constitutional Council to declare a vacancy.
Christian Bomo Ntimbane, a lawyer who heads the Héritage party, rejects that reading in comments reported by Cameroun Actuel. He says the older rule letting the speaker of the National Assembly refer the matter still applies while no vice president exists.
Who Is Pushing Back
Journal du Cameroun reports that many critics accuse Libii of backing a “constitutional coup” and a hand-picked succession. Veteran opposition leader Maurice Kamto wants the reform to lapse through disuse, Koaci reports.
Libii is not alone in calling for an appointment, however. Denis Emilien Atangana, leader of the FDC party, urged Biya on Facebook to name a vice president “to spare us the worst,” Cameroun Actuel reported on Wednesday.
The reform also met unease inside the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (RDPC), the party Biya leads. Senate dean René Zé Nguélé, elected on its ticket, objected in April that a president could appoint a deputy one day and remove him the next.
Libii also listed signs of drift that he blames on the vacuum, including a Higher Judicial Council that he says has not met in more than five years. He cited a recent turf clash between the Communication Ministry and the National Communication Council over the media group L’Anecdote.
What It Means for US Readers
The US State Department rates Cameroon at Level 2, “exercise increased caution,” in an advisory dated Thursday 14 May 2026. It warns that civil unrest is common, “with the potential for political violence,” and that demonstrations may occur with little notice.
Washington is also handing US-funded health programmes over to Cameroonian control by 2030. On Tuesday 6 October, US chargé d’affaires John Robinson and Health Minister Manaouda Malachie installed a joint secretariat to steer that shift, Journal du Cameroun reported.
A sudden vacancy without a named successor would put such programmes and many business plans on hold during a 20 to 120 day election window. A named vice president would offer a clearer chain of command, although critics argue it would bypass voters.
What Is Not Known
Biya has not said publicly whether or when he will appoint a vice president. Names of possible candidates that circulate in Yaoundé are speculation, not an official shortlist.
It is also unclear who would act as interim president if the post stayed empty, because lawyers disagree on how the April texts fit together. Only the Constitutional Council can settle that question, and it has not publicly ruled on it.
Connected Coverage
For the background to Biya’s long rule, read Cameroon Explained 2026: Biya’s Long Rule, Two Crises, the Economy and What to Watch. Cameroon’s place among its neighbours and foreign partners is mapped in Cameroon Geopolitics Explained 2026.
Our earlier report Paul Biya Reintroduces Vice President Role as Cameroon Succession Fight Intensifies covers the first round of this debate. This week’s statements show that the argument over the empty post is far from settled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Cabral Libii?
Cabral Libii is a Cameroonian member of parliament and national president of the opposition PCRN party. Cameroon Tribune says he finished third in the October 2025 presidential election.
What did Cabral Libii warn about?
He warned of chaos if President Paul Biya became permanently unable to serve before naming a vice president. He argues that only a vice president can now ask the Constitutional Council to declare a vacancy.
When was Cameroon’s vice president post created?
Parliament approved the amendment on 4 April 2026 by 200 votes to 18, and it was promulgated on 14 April. No vice president had been appointed by 14 October 2026.
What happens if the presidency falls vacant without a vice president?
The amended constitution requires a presidential election between 20 and 120 days after the vacancy opens. Lawyers disagree over who may ask the Constitutional Council to declare that vacancy in the meantime.
Is it safe for Americans to travel to Cameroon?
The US State Department rates Cameroon at Level 2, exercise increased caution, with higher risks in several regions. Travellers should follow alerts from the US Embassy in Yaoundé and avoid demonstrations.
Sources: Journal du Cameroun, Libii statement, 14 Oct 2026; Koaci, 13 Oct 2026; EcoMatin, Congress vote, 4 Apr 2026; EcoMatin, amendment text, 2 Apr 2026; Cameroun Actuel, vacancy procedure, 10 Aug 2026; Cameroun Actuel, Atangana, 14 Oct 2026; Cameroon Tribune; Presidency of the Republic, biography; Journal du Cameroun, US health secretariat, 8 Oct 2026; US State Department travel advisories.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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