Political Parties : Race For Creation Continues

Between March 3, 1985 when the lone political party in the country, Cameroon National Union (CNU) was transformed to the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) passing through 1990  when multiparty politics was reintroduced and up to the present  year  2020, Cameroon counts 318 political parties, information from the Ministry of Territorial Administration indicates.
After the euphoria of the 1990s when the political landscape was liberalised with the rebirth of multiparty politics enabling the creation of political parties, the yearning for their creation slowed down. Indeed, between 1991 to 1997, some 142 political parties were created and legalised in the country.  One would have thought that over the years Cameroonians with political ambitions would join the already existing political parties but the race for the creation of parties continued. 
The last 10 political parties were legalised between December 2017 and early 2020. The last political party legalised in 2020 was the Movement for Dialogue and Reconciliation (MPDR) of Professor Shanda Tonme Jean Claude. The United Cameroon for Peace and Progress (UCPP) of Nchia Roland Mua was legalised in January 2019.  In 2018 seven political parties were legalised. They include the Cameroon National Union for Democracy (UNCD), Justice and Democratic Movement of Cameroon (MJDC), Democratic and United Union of Cameroon (MDUC), Cameroon Democratic Front (FDC), New Map of Africa (NOUCA), Republic Alliance (AR) and Very Important People (VIP)
Keen political observers in the Cameroon cannot name  up to 15 political parties when one takes into consideration the vibrancy of the parties in the country’s political landscape. In relation to performance in the elections of municipal councillors, Members of the National Assembly and Senators, over 10 political parties are household names. Some of them are the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement that has the majority in the Senate, National A...