The construction of the Cameroon political system: The Ahidjo years, 1958–1982

DeLancey, Mark W.

doi:10.1080/02589008708729465

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…By 1972, even the federal structure of Cameroon was abolished, and all parties absorbed into the CNU. The CNU retained a national secretariat but little infrastructure below the section level, which corresponds with a district or department (DeLancey 1987). This largely continued under Ahidjo's successor Paul Biya, even after he rebranded the CNU as the CPDM.…”

Section: The Challenges Of Legislative Recruitment In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ahidjo could dissolve or extend parliament and introduce bills directly into plenary without committee mark-up. Likewise, the legislature granted the president wide authority that elevated presidential decrees to the status of law (DeLancey 1987: 12–13). Rather, legislators were recruited with an eye towards co-opting political opponents and representatives of the major regional-ethnic groups.…”

Section: The Challenges Of Legislative Recruitment In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Crucially, the shift to elections corresponds with significant change in how elites access the legislature and who is represented. Reflective of the narrow elite at the time and the focus on regional-ethnic balancing, candidate selection between 1973 and 1983 was centralized within the CNU's small Political Bureau (DeLancey 1987). The civil administration and education sector – the two major sectors of employment – remained the key occupational pathways to the legislature.…”

Section: The Challenges Of Legislative Recruitment In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pathways to Power in Authoritarian Regimes: Civil Service, Multipartyism and Legislative Selection in Cameroon

Morse

2021

Gov. & oppos.

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Legislatures are key institutions that stabilize authoritarian rule. However, less is said about the individuals who populate these institutions or the pathways that take them to power. This is an oversight, since how autocrats recruit reflects upon their institutional capacities and adaptation to changing circumstances. Specifically, recruitment is challenging when regimes lack robust ruling parties to cultivate partisan loyalists and during periods of multiparty elections when candidates must provide a higher degree of self-financing. This article examines these dynamics across the lifespan of Cameroon's authoritarian regime and introduces an original biographical data set of over 900 legislators between 1973 and 2019. The data show there is an increased proportion of businesspeople in the legislature, but also a possible emerging preference for former civil servants. The article argues that civil service recruitment pipelines substitute for the monitoring functions a party might serve, while simultaneously preparing candidates for the unique financing needs of elections.

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Section: The Challenges Of Legislative Recruitment In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Challenges Of Legislative Recruitment In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Challenges Of Legislative Recruitment In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pathways to Power in Authoritarian Regimes: Civil Service, Multipartyism and Legislative Selection in Cameroon

Morse

2021

Gov. & oppos.

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“…Likewise, the legislature granted the president wide executive authority over several realms, which elevated presidential decrees and ordinances to the status of law (Nelson 1973: 133–46). Individual MPs could be controlled through the CNU's centralised nomination system and Ahidjo's control of the purse strings (DeLancey 1987: 12–13; Morse 2019: 107–11). Legislative positions were less lucrative than cabinet positions, but nonetheless attracted over 2,500 candidates per election (Union 1973, 1978).…”

Section: The Institutional Evolution Of the Legislature In Cameroonmentioning

confidence: 99%

The legislature as political control: change and continuity in Cameroon's National Assembly (1973–2019)

Morse

2021

J. Mod. Afr. Stud.

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A growing literature has begun to more closely examine African legislatures. However, most of this research has been attentive to emerging democratic settings, and particularly the experiences of a select number of English-speaking countries. By contrast, Cameroon is a Francophone majority country that reintroduced multiparty politics in the early 1990s but continues to exhibit significant authoritarian tendencies. This article provides a longitudinal analysis of Cameroon's National Assembly and builds on a unique biographical dataset of over 900 members of parliament between 1973 and 2019. The article describes changes in the structure and orientation of the legislature as well as the social profile of its members, in particular following the transition to multipartyism. While the legislature in Cameroon remains primarily a tool of political control, it is more dynamic, and the mechanisms used to manage elites within the context of complex multiethnic politics have evolved.

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“…Ahidjo's regime left an indelible impact on his nation. Despite his role in shaping Cameroon holistically, scholars have generally focused on Ahidjo's domestic policy rather than on his foreign policy accomplishments (DeLancey 2007;Efouba 2018;Johnson 1970;Joseph 1978;Takougang & Krieger 1998). Scholars routinely portray him as ruthless, authoritative, and vicious (Eyinga 1978;Bayart 1973).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equality, Non-Interference, and Sovereignty: President Ahmadou Ahidjo and the Making of Cameroon-U.S. Relations

Amin¹

2021

Afr. Stud. Rev.

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Scholars often dismiss the importance of local archives in the reconstruction of postcolonial African history, stating that they are superficial, unorganized, and unreliable. Amin challenges that notion and argues that those archives are central to the study of African diplomatic history. Based on extensive and previously unused documents, he argues that Cameroon’s Ahmadou Ahidjo leveraged his U.S. policy to develop his country and protect its sovereignty while maintaining a firm grip on power. This reappraisal of Ahidjo’s actions engages debates about the contours of U.S.-African foreign policy and the challenges new nations face as they navigate external relations.

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The construction of the Cameroon political system: The Ahidjo years, 1958–1982

Cited by 7 publications

References 6 publications

Pathways to Power in Authoritarian Regimes: Civil Service, Multipartyism and Legislative Selection in Cameroon

Pathways to Power in Authoritarian Regimes: Civil Service, Multipartyism and Legislative Selection in Cameroon

The legislature as political control: change and continuity in Cameroon's National Assembly (1973–2019)

Equality, Non-Interference, and Sovereignty: President Ahmadou Ahidjo and the Making of Cameroon-U.S. Relations

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