The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.
For a quarter-century following independence, Cameroon was one of the most prosperous countries in Africa. The drop in commodity prices for its principal exports (oil, cocoa, coffee, and cotton) in the mid-1980s, combined with an overvalued currency and economic mismanagement, led to a decade-long recession. However recent signs are encouraging. GDP has been on the rise since 1995 and there is cautious optimism that the country is emerging from its long period of economic hardship.
The constitution of Cameroon provides for a strong central government dominated by the executive. The president is empowered to name or dismiss cabinet members, judges, generals, and heads of Cameroon's state-controlled firms, obligate or disburse expenditures, approve or veto regulations, declare states of emergency, and spend the profits of parastatal firms. All these powers can be exercised without consulting with the National Assembly. The Supreme Court may review the constitutionality of a law only at the president's request. The National Assembly ordinary meets three times a year and has seldom, until recently, made major changes in legislation proposed by the executive.
Following government pledges to reform the strongly centralized constitution, the National Assembly adopted a number of amendments in December of 1995. The amendments call for the establishment of a 100-member senate as part of a bicameral legislature, the creation of regional councils, and seven year presidential terms, renewable once. As of yet, the government has not established the first two of these reforms and movement is doubtful any time soon.
The government adopted legislation in 1990 to permit multiple political parties and ease restrictions on forming public groups and private newspapers. Censorship of the press has been abolished, but the government sometimes seizes or suspends Cameroon's independent newspapers and occasionally arrests journalists. Although a 1990 law authorizes private radio and television stations, the government has not yet granted any licenses. The Cameroonian Government's human rights record has been improving over the years but remains flawed.
Cameroon' s first multiparty legislative and presidential elections were held in 1992, followed by municipal elections in 1996. Another round of legislative and presidential elections are scheduled for later this year.
Cameroon enjoys good relations with the United States and other developed countries. It has particularly close ties with France, with whom it has numerous military, economic, and cultural agreements. China has a number of health and infrastructure projects underway in Cameroon. Cameroon enjoys generally good relations with its African neighbors, except for Nigeria, with whom it is engaged in a sporadic armed conflict in the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula.
The Cameroonian military generally has been an apolitical force dominated by civilian control. Traditional dependence on the French defense capability, although reduced, continues to be the case as French military advisers remain closely involved in preparing the Cameroonian forces for deployment to the contested Bakassi Peninsula. The armed forces number 26,000-27,000 personnel in ground, air, and naval forces, the majority being the army and naval ground forces.
Demographic Data
Capital: Yaoundé
Government type: Democracy
Government stability: 86.4%
Government efficiency: 49.2%
Population's support to government: 86.1%
Area: 469,400 square kilometers
Habitable land: 87.0%
Farmable land: 13.0%
Total population: 13,521 thousands
Population's growth: 2.9%
Country's development level: 4,810
Economic Data
GNP: 15,700,000,000
Industralisation: 44.9%
International funding: 39,000,000
Political Data
Secret services efficiency: 2,260
Military Data
Technological generation: 1
Number of rebels: 946
Rebels development: 4,329
Rebels technological access: 3,366