Cameroon

Cameroon is a consolidated Electoral Autocracy dominated by the long serving President Paul Biya and the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM). As the country navigates the aftermath of the late 2025 presidential election cycle, the political environment remains heavily skewed in favor of the incumbent through administrative control of the electoral body and judicial harassment of opposition figures. The Anglophone crisis in the Northwest and Southwest regions continues to severely undermine the rule of law and human rights, with both state forces and separatist groups accused of extrajudicial acts that effectively suspend democratic norms in those territories. Civil liberties are tightly restricted nationwide; the government frequently uses anti-terrorism laws and defamation charges to silence investigative journalists and activists who criticize the executive or discuss the sensitive issue of presidential succession. While multi-party elections are held, they serve primarily as a facade for the centralized power of the executive branch, as the state apparatus systematically curbs dissent and maintains a restrictive environment for media pluralism and free assembly.