11 april 1960 elections in Cameroun

1960 elections in cameroon

On 1 January 1960, Cameroun became an independent republic. Fierce UPC-led riots in the Dschang and Nkongsamba areas caused Ahidjo to summon French reinforcements to suppress the rebellion, but intermittent rioting continued. A draft constitution was approved in a referendum of 21 February, and on 10 April a new National Assembly was elected. Ahidjo's Cameroun Union Party won a majority, and Ahidjo, who ran unopposed, was elected president in April 1960.

During 1960, consultations between Foncha and Ahidjo continued, and a proposed federation was tentatively outlined. On 11 February 1961, separate plebiscites were held in the Southern and Northern British Cameroons under the auspices of the UN. The voters in Southern Cameroons chose union with the Cameroun Republic, while those in Northern Cameroons opted for union with Nigeria, which was accomplished on 1 June 1961. During the months that followed, terrorist activity was renewed and the Cameroun Republic had to devote one-third of its national budget to the maintenance of public order.

A draft constitution for the federation was approved by the Cameroun National Assembly on 7 September 1961, and the new federation became a reality on 1 October. The Cameroun Republic became the state of East Cameroon, and Southern British Cameroons became the state of West Cameroon in the new Federal Republic of Cameroon, with Ahmadou Ahidjo as president and John Foncha as vice president. Both were reelected in 1965, but Foncha was later replaced as vice president, and the office was abolished in 1972.

A proposal to replace the federation with a unified state was ratified by popular referendum on 20 May 1972; the vote was reportedly 99.97% in favor of unification. A new constitution went into effect on 2 June, under which the country was renamed the United Republic of Cameroon. Ahmadou Ahidjo remained president of the republic; running unopposed, he was reelected for a fourth five-year term on 5 April 1975. In June, by constitutional amendment, the office of prime minister was created, and Paul Biya was appointed to the post. Ahidjo, reelected unopposed, began his fifth five-year term as president in May 1980. In November 1982 he resigned and was succeeded by Biya; Ahidjo remained head of the ruling party, the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM).


The Camerouns Republic held its first election for a 100 member National Assembly, Apr 10, since it gained independence from France, Jan 1960. Despite a spate of terrorist raids recently, and a general air of tension immediately preceding the election, polling went off quietly.
Two terrorist raids - April 3 d 7 - on Camerouns chief port, Douala - where casualties still lie in hospital and captured terrorists are held in jail - did not stop the tempo of life in the native quarter. But the European commercial quarter was almost deserted, and stores were shut. Troops and armed gendannes stopped traffic at barbed-wire check-points, and the jail was heavily guarded.
Douala District Governor Nseke briefed polling officials, Apr 9, eve of the election. They were to be firm and impartial when supervising voting. An election in the Camerouns - where tribal, religious, and political feeling runs high - and where many voters are illiterate - requires close control.
Party election preparations were the same as in any other country exhortations to vote stuck on walls, electioneering handbills, and political rallies. Election literature was marked by symbols for illiterate voters.
Dr. Bebey Eyidi, graduate of the Paris Sorbonne and a leader of the Union Populaire Camerounien - a proscribed organisation until quite recently - addressed a meeting in Douala. He said Europeans were welcome in Camerouns but must stay out of politics; the present administration was a virtual extension of French administration. "Sekou Toure has succeeded in Guinea (without the French); we can succeed here. Vote calmly, and we will win," he told his audience.
In fact, it seems almost certain that Ahmadou Ahidjo's Cameroun Union will continue in power; an electoral law of Mar 4 re-drew constituencies and re-allocated Deputies to give the underpopulated Moslem North - which supports Ahidjo - a heavy weight in the poll. It has 44 Deputies to the South's 56; previous ratio was 28 to 42. The opposition is further handicapped by lack of leaders. UPC leader Dr. Felix Moumie fled to Conakry, Guinea, where he set up a government in exile, and despite an Amnesty, refused to return.
If Ahidjo is returned to office - he has governed by decree, without the Assembly, since Oct. 59 - he will have French military help until June. Whether the UPC will be content to remain a constitutional opposition has yet to be seen.

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