Cameroon candidates: minimum age 23 and six months' residence
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Camer.be
Cameroon’s Electoral Code requires candidates in the municipal elections to be at least 23 years old, to have effectively resided in the commune for at least six months and to have a command of French or English. Applied to the letter, these rules could weigh on the 7 February 2027 contest, according to Camer.be.
To stand as a candidate in the municipal elections of 7 February 2027 in Cameroon, a person must be at least 23 years old on the date of the poll, be registered on an electoral roll and show effective residence of at least six months in the commune concerned, according to Article 175 of Cameroon’s Electoral Code. The candidate must also be able to read and write French or English.
The law provides for two exceptions: a non-resident may stand if they can show a home of origin in the commune, and a foreigner naturalised as Cameroonian must wait ten years after acquiring nationality before being eligible.
Candidacy declarations must be filed within fifteen days of the convening of the electoral body, with the communal branch of Elecam, the body responsible for organising elections, against a receipt, according to Article 181. Each candidate must provide a file of nine documents, including an extract of their birth certificate. These rules take effect after the decree signed on 9 November by Paul Biya.
