Cameroonians await government reshuffle after Biya’s return

After 10 weeks abroad, Biya returned to Cameroon but has yet to appoint a new government or vice president.

A newspaper kiosk in downtown Yaounde where Cameroonians seek updates on political developments. [File: Amindeh Blaise Atabong/Al Jazeera]

Yaounde, Cameroon – Every weekday at 5pm, Elvis Mbi tunes in to the state broadcaster’s flagship radio bulletin, hoping to hear an announcement from President Paul Biya that could signal a change in Cameroon’s political leadership.

Biya, 93, returned to Cameroon on August 20 after spending about 10 weeks abroad. His prolonged absence fuelled speculation about his health and whereabouts, including unverified claims that he had died.

His return raised expectations of a government reshuffle, but no new government had been appointed by October 6. The vice presidency, restored through a constitutional amendment in April, also remained vacant.

“Every Cameroonian was expecting that upon his return home, he was going to change government, but nothing up to this moment,” 39-year-old Mbi told Al Jazeera.

In his December 31, 2025, address to the nation, Biya promised that a new government would be formed “in the coming days”. More than nine months later, the promised change had yet to materialise.

Succession fears grow

The vacant vice presidency has drawn particular attention since politicians approved a constitutional amendment in April restoring the position abolished in 1972.

Under Law No. 2026/002, promulgated on April 14, the president may appoint and dismiss a vice president.

The amendment provides for the vice president to assume the presidency on an interim basis if the office becomes vacant because of the president’s death, resignation or permanent incapacity.

The vice president serves the remainder of the seven-year presidential term under the conditions set out in the Constitution.

A roundabout in downtown Yaounde reflects Cameroon’s national identity and the government’s promotion of bilingualism as a means of uniting the country amid ongoing conflict. [File: Amindeh Blaise Atabong/Al Jazeera]

The reform establishes a formal succession mechanism while leaving the appointment of the vice president to Biya. The amendment does not set a deadline for filling the post.

“We all know the president needs assistance in order to execute state duties and that’s why we are anxiously waiting for the appointment, but nothing has happened yet to our greatest dismay,” Mbi said.

A disputed presidential decree purporting to appoint a vice president has added to the speculation.

In June, an individual delivered a sealed envelope to Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV) in Yaounde containing a purported presidential decree appointing a vice president.

The document appeared to bear the official seals of the presidency and a signature attributed to Biya, according to a government statement published by state newspaper Cameroon Tribune on July 1.

CRTV did not broadcast what the document said. The government said the decree had not been issued through the proper official process and confirmed that the individual had been detained and an investigation was under way.

For Jude Mutah, a Washington-based governance and democracy expert and director of member relations at the Corporate Council on Africa, the attention paid to the state broadcaster’s evening bulletin reflects public expectations of political change.

In the absence of clear information, rumours can gain traction, he said.

Cabral Libii, leader of the Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation and an opposition figure in the 2025 presidential election, has argued that appointing a vice president would matter beyond filling a vacant post.

“The vice presidency is not just another administrative post to be filled. Appointing your vice president means securing your leadership,” Libii said in a public appeal.

“A vice president of this calibre could help to mitigate the succession struggles that are currently paralysing collective action,” he added.

Economic uncertainty

The leadership questions are unfolding as Cameroon faces other challenges, including a separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions and an armed rebellion linked to Boko Haram around the Lake Chad Basin.

Jason Healy, a sub-Saharan Africa country risk analyst at BMI, part of Fitch Solutions, said uncertainty over political leadership could weigh on investor confidence.

CRTV Radio’s national station in Yaounde, where the 5–6pm news bulletin has drawn attention since President Paul Biya returned from his 10-week “brief private stay” in Europe. [File: Amindeh Blaise Atabong/Al Jazeera]

Healy warned that prolonged uncertainty could discourage some investors from committing to large, long-term projects. He also suggested that delaying appointments could be a political calculation by Biya, allowing him to retain control over the timing and composition of any changes.

Mbi Aziseh Azimboh, executive director of the Policy Lab for Civic Innovation and Community Solutions (POLITICOS), said prolonged uncertainty could slow government decision-making and delay reforms and public policies.

Government defends president’s prerogative

The government has defended Biya’s authority to decide when to make appointments.

In an interview with RFI in August, Communication Minister and government spokesperson Rene Emmanuel Sadi said the president had the authority to form a new government and determine when to do so.

“It is surely quite normal for him to take his time when entrusting such a high office to one of his fellow citizens,” Sadi said.

Elvis Ngolle Ngolle, a former minister and coordinator of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement’s academy, said citizens’ concerns were legitimate but maintained that the president had the constitutional prerogative to act when he chose.

The presidency did not respond to an Al Jazeera request for comment.

For Mbi, his radio-listening ritual continues.

“No one knows anything any more. It is so disheartening when I tune in each time but don’t get the big news,” he told Al Jazeera.

在国外待了 10 周后，比亚返回喀麦隆，但尚未任命新政府或副总统。

在喀麦隆首都雅温得市中心，一个报刊亭是喀麦隆民众了解政治动态的地方。[图片：Amindeh Blaise Atabong/半岛电视台]

喀麦隆雅温得——每个工作日的下午 5 点，埃尔维斯·姆比都会收听国家广播公司的旗舰广播新闻，希望能听到总统保罗·比亚发表的声明，这或许预示着喀麦隆政治领导层的更迭。

93岁的比亚在国外待了大约10周后，于8月20日返回喀麦隆。他长时间的缺席引发了人们对他健康状况和下落的猜测，甚至出现了未经证实的他已经去世的说法。

他的回归引发了人们对政府改组的期待，但截至10月6日，新政府仍未成立。4月份通过宪法修正案恢复的副总统职位也仍然空缺。

“每个喀麦隆人都期待他回国后能改变政府，但直到现在才看到这一幕，”39岁的姆比告诉半岛电视台。

比亚在2025年12月31日向全国发表讲话时承诺，“未来几天”将组建新政府。然而，九个多月过去了，他承诺的变革仍未实现。

继承担忧日益加剧

自今年 4 月政界人士批准一项宪法修正案，恢复 1972 年废除的副总统职位以来，空缺的副总统职位引起了特别关注。

根据 4 月 14 日颁布的第 2026/002 号法律，总统可以任命和解雇副总统。

该修正案规定，如果总统因死亡、辞职或永久丧失行为能力而导致总统职位空缺，副总统将临时担任总统职务。

副总统按照宪法规定的条件，完成剩余的七年总统任期。

雅温得市中心的一个环岛体现了喀麦隆的民族认同感，以及政府在持续冲突中推行双语制以团结国家的举措。[图片：Amindeh Blaise Atabong/半岛电视台]

这项改革建立了一套正式的继任机制，但副总统的任命权仍然归比亚所有。修正案没有设定填补该职位的最后期限。

“我们都知道总统需要协助才能履行国家职责，所以我们一直在焦急地等待任命，但令我们非常失望的是，至今仍未有任何进展，”姆比说道。

一份备受争议的总统令，据称将任命一位副总统，这更加剧了人们的猜测。

6 月，有人向位于雅温得的喀麦隆广播电视台 (CRTV) 递送了一个密封信封，里面装着一份据称是总统任命副总统的法令。

据喀麦隆官方报纸《喀麦隆论坛报》7月1日发表的政府声明称，该文件似乎带有总统府的官方印章和据称是比亚的签名。

CRTV并未播出该文件的内容。政府表示，该法令并非通过正当的官方程序颁布，并确认该人已被拘留，目前正在接受调查。

对于常驻华盛顿的治理和民主专家、非洲企业理事会成员关系主管朱德·穆塔来说，人们对国家广播公司晚间新闻的关注反映了公众对政治变革的期望。

他表示，在缺乏明确信息的情况下，谣言很容易传播开来。

喀麦隆民族和解党领导人、2025 年总统选举反对派人物卡布拉尔·利比认为，任命副总统的意义远不止填补空缺职位。

“副总统职位不仅仅是一个需要填补的行政职位。任命副总统意味着巩固你的领导地位，”利比在一次公开呼吁中说道。

“像他这样优秀的副总裁可以帮助缓解目前导致集体行动瘫痪的继任难题，”他补充道。

经济不确定性

在喀麦隆面临其他挑战之际，领导层问题也随之浮出水面，这些挑战包括英语区的分离主义冲突以及与博科圣地有关的乍得湖盆地武装叛乱。

惠誉解决方案旗下BMI的撒哈拉以南非洲国家风险分析师杰森·希利表示，政治领导层的不确定性可能会影响投资者信心。

自保罗·比亚总统结束为期十周的欧洲“短暂私人访问”返回以来，位于雅温得的CRTV广播电台下午5点至6点的新闻播报就备受关注。[图片：Amindeh Blaise Atabong/半岛电视台]

希利警告说，长期的不确定性可能会阻碍一些投资者投资大型长期项目。他还暗示，比亚推迟任命可能是出于政治考量，以便他能够继续掌控任何变动的时机和人员构成。

公民创新与社区解决方案政策实验室 (POLITICOS) 执行主任 Mbi Aziseh Azimboh 表示，长期的不确定性可能会减缓政府决策，并推迟​​改革和公共政策。

政府捍卫总统特权

政府捍卫了比亚总统决定何时任命官员的权力。

今年 8 月，通信部长兼政府发言人雷内·埃马纽埃尔·萨迪在接受法国国际广播电台采访时表示，总统有权组建新政府并决定何时组建。

萨迪说：“他把如此重要的职位委托给一位同胞，需要时间考虑，这当然是完全正常的。”

喀麦隆执政党人民民主运动学院前部长兼协调员埃尔维斯·恩戈勒·恩戈勒表示，公民的担忧是合理的，但他坚持认为总统有权根据宪法选择何时采取行动。

总统府未回应半岛电视台的置评请求。

对于姆比来说，他收听广播的习惯仍在继续。

“现在谁也不知道发生了什么。每次我打开电视却看不到什么重大新闻，真是太令人沮丧了，”他告诉半岛电视台。