The Government of Cameroon

Cameroon - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Cameroon, it was in the 15th century, Portuguese explorers named the area near the mouth of the Wouri River the Rio dos Camaroes (River of Prawns) after the abundant shrimp in the water; over time the designation became Cameroon in English; this is the only instance where a country is named after a crustacean. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 10 regions (regions, singular - region); Adamaoua, Centre, East (Est), Far North (Extreme-Nord), Littoral, North (Nord), North-West (Nord-Ouest), West (Ouest), South (Sud), South-West (Sud-Ouest)

National symbols

Lion; national colors: green, red, yellow.

The flag

The National flag of Cameroon has three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow, with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; the vertical tricolor recalls the flag of France; red symbolizes unity, yellow the sun, happiness, and the savannahs in the north, and green hope and the forests in the south; the star is referred to as the "star of unity".

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

The National Anthem

Title	"O Cameroun, Berceau de nos Ancetres" (O Cameroon, Cradle of Our Forefathers)
Lyric/music	Rene Djam AFAME, Samuel Minkio BAMBA, Moise Nyatte NKO'O [French], Benard Nsokika FONLON [English]/Rene Djam AFAME

note: adopted 1957; Cameroon's anthem, also known as "Chant de Ralliement" (The Rallying Song), has been used unofficially since 1948 and officially adopted in 1957; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ

More about the government of Cameroon

Constitution
Date of Independence	1 January 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday	State Unification Day (National Day), 20 May (1972)
Legal system	mixed legal system of English common law, French civil law, and customary law
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Several previous; latest effective 18 January 1996
Amendments	Proposed by the president of the republic or by Parliament; amendment drafts require approval of at least one third of the membership in either house of Parliament; passage requires absolute majority vote of the Parliament membership; passage of drafts requested by the president for a second reading in Parliament requires two-thirds majority vote of its membership; the president can opt to submit drafts to a referendum, in which case passage requires a simple majority; constitutional articles on Cameroon’s unity and territorial integrity and its democratic principles cannot be amended; amended 2008
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Cameroon
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982)
Head of government	Prime Minister Joseph NGUTE (since 4 January 2019)
Cabinet	Cabinet proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 7 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2025); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results	2018: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 71.3%, Maurice KAMTO (MRC) 14.2%, Cabral LIBII (Univers) 6.3%, other 8.2% 2011: Paul BIYA reelected president; percent of vote - Paul BIYA (CPDM) 78.0%, John FRU NDI (SDF) 10.7%, Garga Haman ADJI 3.2%, other 8.1% (2018)
Legislative branch
Legislature name	Parlement - Parliament
Legislative structure	Bicameral
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of Cameroon (consists of 9 titular and 6 surrogate judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and audit chambers); Constitutional Council (consists of 11 members)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court judges appointed by the president with the advice of the Higher Judicial Council of Cameroon, a body chaired by the president and includes the minister of justice, selected magistrates, and representatives of the National Assembly; judge term NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president for renewable 6-year terms
Subordinate courts	Parliamentary Court of Justice (jurisdiction limited to cases involving the president and prime minister); appellate and first instance courts; circuit and magistrates' courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Henri ETOUNDI ESSOMBA (since 27 June 2016)
Chancery	2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 265-8790
FAX	[1] (202) 387-3826
Email address and website	mail@cameroonembassyusa Cameroon Embassy in Washington DC, USA (cameroonembassyusa.org)
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Christopher J. LAMORA (since 21 March 2022)
Embassy	Avenue Rosa Parks, Yaoundé
Mailing address	2520 Yaounde Place, Washington, DC 20521-2520
Telephone	[237] 22251-4000
FAX	[237] 22251-4000, Ext. 4531
Email address and website	[email protected] https://cm.usembassy.gov/
Branch office(s)	Douala
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	2 (both natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Dja Faunal Reserve; Sangha Trinational Forest