By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
The Central African country of Cameroon is now set to reintroduce the position of Vice President, which was abolished from the governance structure of the country over five decades ago. In a debate at the country’s Parliament on Thursday during a joint session, a new constitutional review was introduced to, among other things, reverse the 1972 abolishment of the Vice President position from the nation’s leadership structure. This review aimed at reversing the position of Vice President in the country’s government structure is considered a significant institutional change that might have far more implications on leadership transition in the future.
Cameroon’s 93-year-old President, Paul Biya, a civilian ruler, who took his stint at power in 1982, has now earned the badge as the second-longest serving ruler. He has been in power for forty-four years.
A part of the draft bill explicitly provides that the Vice President would take over and complete the tenure of the outgoing President in the event of death. The draft similarly provides that the restoration of the position of Vice President was to ensure that there was no vacancy in the administration of the state when such an occasion arises.
