Ten years already, how relevant has the Senate been in Cameroon?
By Pavel
Senatorial elections in Cameroon are scheduled for March 12, 2023. This will be the third time. Cameroonians have been reacting about the role the institution has played over the past ten years since the electoral college was first convened in 2013.
Several persons consider the system a failure, however, they believe it’s normal for a nation like Cameroon to have a Senate, given the democratic status the country attaches itself to.
“In any democratic state whose aim is to achieve efficiency, a Senate is definitely necessary,” Nsosah Gueric, based in Douala says.
“An efficient Senate must be responsible for passing bills, reviewing legislation, representing regions, protecting the interest of minorities, and investigating issues. It is unfortunate that the case of Cameroon is a show but a Senate is necessary.”
Gueric further explains that “an upper house of parliament means more control and analysis on proposed bills to ensure relevance and eliminate the risk of promulgating laws that are not for the common good. A bill can pass in the lower house but get rejected in the upper house on the question of relevance to the common good.”
Another Cameroonian, Fritz, shares Gueric’s view but opines that the Senate in Cameroon should be “deleted”.
“The Senate to me doesn’t serve much in our context because they are basically there just to approve what has been debated on by the lower house. So I don’t think it’s a necessary organization for us here.”
A more critical view from an anonymous source in Yaounde points out that “the word ‘senate’ seems to have been interpreted quite literally with the entire thing full of ‘elderly’ people” she says. “Seems to me like there’s no room for innovative ideas from youths”.
“Secondly, why 100 seats? Seems to me like propaganda, simply a way to ‘legally’ embezzle money. Again, why does the power that is supposed to be under control have the right to choose 30/100; defeats the entire control purpose.”
The source adds that “Senators hardly ever think of the places they went to represent. In fact, a seat in the Senate seems like a reward to ruling party loyalty”.
On March 12, 70 senators will be elected, seven per region, while 30 others will be appointed by the Head of State, three per region.
Since its establishment in 2013, 88-year-old Marcel Niat Njifenji has been President of the upper house of parliament. His five-year mandate was renewed in 2018.
