Cameroon will hold its long-delayed legislative and local elections on Sunday, 7 February 2027, after President Paul Biya signed a decree convening voters to the polls on Monday, 9 November.

The decree covers the twin elections for members of the National Assembly and municipal councillors, which have now been postponed twice. The polls will be the country's first major elections since Mr Biya's disputed re-election as president last year.

Members of the National Assembly and municipal councillors were elected in February 2020 for a standard five-year mandate, but they have remained in office through a series of extensions. President Biya first extended the mandate of municipal councillors on 24 July 2024, prolonging it by 15 months and moving its expiry from 25 February 2025 to 31 May 2026.

Following constitutional amendments in April that gave him further powers over the electoral timetable, Mr Biya signed another decree on 4 May 2026 extending the councillors' mandate from 1 June 2026 to 28 February 2027.

Why the date had to be set now

The timing of the announcement follows the rules of Cameroon's Electoral Code. Section 86 requires voters to be called to the polls by presidential decree at least 90 days before election day, while Section 169 provides that municipal elections must take place at least 20 days before the mandate of sitting councillors expires, in this case 28 February 2027.

The 7 February date therefore falls inside the narrow window the law allows, just over three months after the decree was signed and three weeks before the councillors' mandate runs out.

Election body leadership renewed

In a separate decree, President Biya renewed the mandates of the chairperson, vice-chairperson and 10 other members of the Electoral Board of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the country's election management body, for another four years.

Enow Abrams Egbe remains chairperson of ELECAM, while Amugu née Abena Ekobena Appoline Marie continues as vice-chairperson. Their previous terms of office expired in July this year.

A tense political climate

The elections are expected to take place in a tense political climate. The 93-year-old president has governed Cameroon since 1982, and his re-election in last year's presidential election was rejected by opposition groups, triggering protests that security forces violently suppressed.

Last month the authorities suspended the Cameroon National Salvation Front, the party of opposition presidential candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who lost the presidential election. Mr Bakary went into exile in The Gambia after declaring himself the winner and calling on supporters to defend his claimed victory.

The government has also yet to carry out a cabinet reshuffle announced nearly a year ago or appoint a vice president. The post was restored through a constitutional amendment in April, with its holder expected to succeed Mr Biya if he dies in office.

Opposition parties face restrictions, and the country has yet to implement several long-awaited political changes. With candidate lists to be filed and campaigns to be organised in the coming weeks, the February vote will test whether the long wait for these elections ends in a contest the opposition accepts as credible.