Cameroon will hold parliamentary and municipal elections on February 7, 2027, following a presidential decree setting a date for the long-delayed vote. President Paul Biya signed the decree on November 9, and the announcement was subsequently broadcast on state radio.
The elections will renew the country's 180-member National Assembly and municipal councils across 360 municipalities. Polling stations are scheduled to open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. local time, according to the African Press Agency.
The vote has been postponed twice after originally being expected in 2025, extending the mandates of existing lawmakers and municipal councillors. Members of the National Assembly elected in February 2020 have remained in office beyond their original terms, while local councillors have also received extensions.
The November 9 decree establishes a new timetable for the elections in accordance with Article 86 of Cameroon's Electoral Code, which requires at least 90 days between the formal calling of voters to the polls and election day.
The upcoming vote will be the first nationwide election since the October 2025 presidential contest, in which Biya secured another term amid opposition allegations of electoral irregularities and subsequent protests.
Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) won 152 of the 180 National Assembly seats in the 2020 legislative elections. The forthcoming parliamentary and municipal contests will determine the composition of the country's national legislature and local governing bodies for the next term.
With the election date now confirmed, political parties and Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), the country's electoral management body, will need to advance preparations, including candidate nominations, voter registration checks and logistical arrangements.
The February 2027 elections will be an important test of Cameroon's political and electoral institutions following an extended period of uncertainty over the renewal of parliamentary and municipal representation.
