Published Friday 13 November 2026 · Source: presidential decree of 9 November 2026, Electoral Code, Elections Cameroon
Key Facts
- Vote: Sunday 7 February 2027, for 180 seats in the National Assembly, the lower house, and for local councillors.
- Filing: Candidacies are due about 24 November, not yet confirmed by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the election body.
- Where: ELECAM council branches take municipal files; its divisional branches or its headquarters in Yaoundé, the capital, take deputies’ files.
- Who: Paul Biya, 93, Cameroon’s president, signed the calling decree on Monday 9 November 2026.
- Not known: Filing fees, campaign dates and how many parties will file.
Candidates have until about 24 November to file for Cameroon’s parliamentary and council elections on Sunday 7 February 2027. The vote matters to US readers because Cameroon is a Central African oil producer that hosts the Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline.
President Paul Biya, 93, who has ruled the Central African country since 1982, signed the calling decree on Monday 9 November 2026, as we reported on the vote date. That is exactly 90 days before polling day.
The Electoral Code, Cameroon’s election law, requires candidacies within 15 days of the decree. That points to about 24 November, not yet confirmed by Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the independent body that runs the country’s elections.
How Candidates File
Municipal candidacy files go to ELECAM’s council branches, one for each commune, as municipalities are called. Legislative files go to ELECAM’s divisional (departmental) branch, against a receipt, or to the ELECAM General Directorate of Elections, its national office in Yaoundé.
The Code is cited as requiring three copies of each file, with legalised signatures. We have not seen the full text of the Code.
After filing, the ELECAM Electoral Board, the commission’s governing body, scrutinises the files and publishes the retained lists. Press accounts cite the Code as setting that publication at least 60 days before polling day, which would be about 9 December.
What Is at Stake
The National Assembly, which has 180 seats, sits on a mandate that a law extended to 20 December 2026. The vote has been postponed twice before.
On the same day as the vote decree, a second decree renewed the mandates of ELECAM’s president, Enow Abrams Egbe, and other board members, as we reported on the election board chief. The lists that pass scrutiny will decide who sits in parliament and the councils under a president who has led the country since 1982.
What It Means for You
For investors and oil-sector watchers, the filing round decides who can contest the seats that vote on laws and budgets. Nothing is final until the Electoral Board publishes the retained lists.
Travellers and expatriates should watch for campaign dates, which ELECAM has still to set. Our earlier coverage explains the ruling party’s rule that bars ministers from its parliamentary lists and maps the key players, and you can see all our Cameroon coverage.
What Is Not Known
We could not find an official ELECAM closing date, and the detailed calendar and campaign dates are still to be set. We have not checked the filing fees against the Code, so we give no amounts.
It is unclear how many parties and candidates will file. Whether every opposition party can supply the endorsement documents its candidates need is also unclear.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Cameroon’s parliamentary and municipal vote?
Sunday 7 February 2027, which is 90 days after the decree of Monday 9 November 2026. Voters fill the Assembly’s 180 seats and elect local councillors.
When is the filing deadline for candidates?
The Electoral Code allows 15 days from the decree, which points to about Tuesday 24 November 2026. ELECAM had not confirmed an official closing date, as far as we found.
Where do candidates file?
Municipal candidates file at ELECAM’s council branches. Deputies file at its divisional branch, against a receipt, or at its General Directorate of Elections in Yaoundé.
Who runs the election?
Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the body that runs the vote, receives and scrutinises the files and publishes the retained lists. A second decree of 9 November renewed the mandates of its president and some board members.
Sources: Presidential decree of 9 November 2026 calling the electorate; Electoral Code of Cameroon, the national election law; Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the body that runs the vote.
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