On March 12, 2023, municipal Councillors will be convened from all head divisions of the national triangle to elect 70 senators to the upper house of parliament.

The elections scheduled for March 12, 2023, is the substance of a decree signed this January by the President of the Republic Paul Biya.

It confirms what he had already announced in his greetings to the nation on December 31. For Paul Biya, these senatorial elections will consolidate the decentralisation option provided for in the 1996 Constitution. He did not hesitate to give his opinion on the march of Cameroon towards decentralisation.

“The decentralisation process is moving forward methodically. The transfer of competences from the State to the decentralised territorial authorities is being done progressively,” said Paul Biya in his speech.

His party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Rally (CPDM) has been preparing for this deadline for several months now. Even if it is not possible for the CPDM to lose the Senate. The ruling party alone controls 316 communes out of the 360 in the country. The CPDM currently has 63 senators out of the 70 elected to the upper house of parliament.

Despite its slim chances, the opposition is also in battle order. The majority of the parties want to concentrate their forces in a few regions.