Unconstitutional constitutional amendment or constitutional dismemberment? A reappraisal of the presidential term limit amendment in Cameroon

Bibliographic Data

ID13008793
AuthorsLaura-Stella Enonchong (0000-0002-0622-0982, De Montfort University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume11
Issue2
Pages274-296
Publication date2022-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGlobal Constitutionalism (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2045-3817 • E-ISSN: 2045-3825
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s2045381721000290
OpenAlexW4214567196
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited13

Presidential term limit provisions are often perceived as a feature of modern democratic systems. It has been argued that their existence is a key intervention mechanism to pre-empt some undemocratic outcomes associated with incumbency advantages. In 2008, the Constitution of Cameroon was amended to abolish the presidential term limit. More than ten years on, there are ostensible signs of a democratic decline. This article takes a retrospective look at the constitutional amendment to assess its constitutionality. It is argued that a conclusion on the constitutionality of the amendment may not be unequivocal. Nevertheless, there are substantial grounds for considering the constitutional change as a constitutional dismemberment. This is premised on the fact that, although the amendment followed the normal rules for constitutional amendments, the transformation amounted to a fundamental break with the constitutional commitment to democracy that underpinned the adoption of the 1996 Constitution

Constitution · Constitutional amendment · Constitutionality · Democracy · Dismemberment · Political science · Politics · Presidential system · European and International Law Studies · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Political Conflict and Governance

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