YAOUNDE — Cameroon's parliament approved a constitutional amendment on Saturday to reintroduce the office of vice president, a position that was abolished more than five decades ago. The measure passed during a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate held in Yaounde, with 200 members voting in favor, 18 voting against, and 4 abstaining, while the main opposition party boycotted the proceedings entirely.

Under the terms of the amendment, the president holds the authority to appoint and dismiss the vice president at will. The vice president can only exercise powers that are specifically delegated by the president. In the event that the president dies, resigns, or becomes incapacitated, the vice president would serve as interim president for the remainder of the seven-year presidential term, rather than triggering a new election.

Members of the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement said the amendment ensures institutional stability for the country. Opposition members said that reintroducing the vice president position would strengthen President Paul Biya's grip on power by allowing him to install a successor without a popular vote.

The Social Democratic Front, one of the country's opposition parties, said the amendment fails to guarantee democratic legitimacy, inclusiveness, and proper institutional balance. Fusi Namukong, a Social Democratic Front member of parliament, said, "It's not democratic. This is a republic, and in a republic, those who wield power at the highest level of the state should be elected and not appointed."

The Cameroon Bar Association warned that the amendment erodes the democratic legitimacy of the presidential office and undermines the country's constitution. Critics of the amendment said the new law undermines democratic principles by replacing electoral legitimacy with presidential appointment.

The office of vice president was originally abolished in Cameroon in 1972 following a constitutional referendum.

Biya, who has led the country for decades, spends most of his time in Europe and leaves day-to-day governance to key party officials and family members. His reelection in 2025 prompted protests that left at least four people dead.