Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGE (since 19 September 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 12 October 1997 (next to be held NA October 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote - Paul BIYA 92.6%; note - supporters of the opposition candidates boycotted the elections, making a comparison of vote shares relatively meaningless
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms; note - the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature) elections: last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RDCP 109, SDF 43, UNDP 13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note - results from 7 contested seats were cancelled by the Supreme Court and have yet to be filled note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC
; Cameroon Liberation and Development Movement or
MLDC ; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDPC
(the RDPC or its predecessor parties have ruled since independence)
; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or
MDR ; Movement for the Liberation of Cameroonian
Youths or MLJC ; National Union for Democracy and Progress
or UNDP ; Social Democratic Front or
SDF ; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC-K
Political pressure groups and leaders: Alliance for Change or FAC
; Cameroon Anglophone Movement or CAM [Vishe FAI, secretary
general]; Southern Cameroon National Council
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C,
CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 265-8790 FAX: (202) 387-3826
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John M. YATES embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: 23-45-52 FAX: 23-07-53
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
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