Politics

The President of Cameroon has broad, unilateral powers to create policy, administer government agencies, command the armed forces, negotiate and ratify treaties, and declare a state of emergency. The president appoints officials at all levels of government, from the prime minister (considered the official head of government), to the provincial governors, divisional officers and urban councils in large cities. The president is selected by popular vote every seven years. In smaller municipalities, the public elects mayors and councillors. Corruption is rife at all levels of government; Transparency International ranked Cameroon as the 138th most corrupt of 163 countries in 2006. The country has instigated programmes to reverse the tide.

The National Assembly makes legislation. The body consists of 180 members who are elected for five-year terms and meet three times per year. Rarely has the assembly changed or blocked legislation proposed by the president. Laws are passed on a majority vote. The 1996 constitution establishes a second house of parliament, the 100-seat Senate, but this has never been put into practice. The government recognises the authority of traditional chiefs, fons and lamibe to govern at the local level and to resolve disputes as long as such rulings do not conflict with national law.

President Paul Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) was the only legal political party until December 1990. Numerous ethnic and regional political groups have since formed, such as the National Union for Democracy and Progress under Maigari Bello Bouba and the National Union for Democracy and Progress under Adamou Ndam Njoya. The primary opposition is the Social Democratic Front (SDF), based primarily in the Anglophone region of the country and headed by John Fru Ndi. Biya and his party have maintained control of the presidency and the National Assembly in national elections, but rivals contend that these have been unfair. Human rights organisations allege that the government suppresses the freedoms of opposition groups by preventing demonstrations, disrupting meetings, and arresting opposition leaders and journalists. Freedom House ranks Cameroon as "not free" in terms of political rights and civil liberties. The last elections were held on October 11, 2004.

Foreign Policy

Cameroon's foreign policy calls for African unity, non-interference and equal treatment of all nations. Cameroon is a member of both the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie. In reality, the country follows closely behind its main ally, France, relying on it heavily for its defence.

Biya has clashed with neighbouring Nigeria over possession of the Bakassi peninsula and with Gabon's president, El Hadj Omar Bongo, over personal rivalries. Nevertheless, civil war presents a more credible threat to national security, as tensions between Christians and Muslims and between Anglophones and Francophones remain high.

Legal System

Cameroon's legal system is largely based on French civil law with common law influences. The constitution establishes the judiciary as an independent branch of government, but in reality it falls under the authority of the executive's Ministry of Justice. The president appoints judges at all levels. The judiciary is officially divided into tribunals, the court of appeal and the Supreme Court. The National Assembly elects the members of a nine-member High Court of Justice that judges high-ranking members of government in the event they are charged with high treason or harming national security.

Police

Human rights organisations charge police and military forces with harsh treatment and even torture of criminal suspects, ethnic minorities, homosexuals and political activists. Prisons are overcrowded with little access to adequate food or medical facilities, and prisons run by traditional rulers in the north are charged with holding political opponents at the behest of the government. However, since the early 2000s, an increasing number of police and gendarmes have been prosecuted for such acts.

Education

Education in Cameroon is a national priority, and most children have access to free, state-run schools or subsidised, private or religious facilities. The educational system is a mixture of British and French precedents. Schools teach in English or French, although increasing numbers of primary schools experiment with mother-tongue instruction. Cameroon has one of the highest school attendance rates in Africa. Girls attend school less regularly than boys due to cultural attitudes, domestic duties, early marriage or pregnancy, and sexual harassment. Although attendance rates are higher in the south, a disproportionate number of teachers are stationed there, leaving northern schools chronically understaffed.

Healthcare

The quality of healthcare is generally low. Outside the major cities, facilities are often dirty and poorly equipped. Endemic diseases include leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, filariasis, dengue fever, schistosomiasis and meningitis; Cameroonian strains of malaria are particularly virulent. The HIV/AIDS seroprevalence rate is estimated at 5.4% for those aged 15-49, although a strong stigma against the illness keeps the number of reported cases artificially low. Traditional healers remain a popular alternative to Western medicine.

Media

Although press freedoms have improved since the early 2000s, the press is corrupt and beholden to special interests and political groups. Newspapers routinely self-censor to avoid government reprisals. The major radio and television stations are state-run, and the government routinely cracks down on unlicensed broadcasters. The Internet remains largely unregulated.