Maurice Kamto challenges Cameroon’s municipal mandate extension before constitutional council

Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto denounces government over unconstitutional municipal term extension

Maurice Kamto, leader of Cameroon’s Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC), has condemned the latest extension of municipal councilors’ mandates, authorized through a presidential decree issued on May 4, 2026. Accusing the regime of constitutional violations, he announced plans to file a complaint with the Constitutional Council, citing an unlawful overreach of executive power into legislative authority and a breach of democratic principles.

The legal challenge stems from the government’s decision to lift a long-standing restriction on mandate extensions. Previously, the electoral code (Article 170) capped such extensions at 18 months. However, a newly enacted law, adopted and promulgated on April 14, 2026, granted the president authority to prolong municipal councilors’ terms beyond this limit. Kamto argues that this law lacks any provision for retroactive application, yet the decree issued under it extended mandates retroactively to February 27, 2026—despite the original mandate set to expire on August 9, 2026.

Kamto asserts that the presidential decree flagrantly violates the constitutional principle of non-retroactivity, which stipulates that laws apply only to future actions, not past events. As of June 1, 2026, he contends that municipal councils nationwide are legally vacant. He urges local executives to recognize this vacancy and take legal responsibility for their positions and the communities they represent.

The opposition figure warns that the new legal framework has destabilized Cameroon’s institutions. By petitioning the Constitutional Council, he seeks an order compelling the president to call municipal elections. Yet questions linger over whether the Council will intervene, given its history of dismissing similar petitions on procedural grounds.