Over 3,000 members of the Cameroon Bar Association have converged on the Yaounde Multipurpose Sports Complex to elect new leaders for the Bar Council and the Bar General Assembly.
At the venue, candidates could be seen making final appeals to voters in a bid to secure their trust and support.
Incumbent Bar Council President, Mbah Eric Mbah, is seeking a second term and faces stiff competition from several seasoned lawyers, including former interim Bar President, Claire Atangana Bikouna.
The extraordinary General Assembly will elect 15 members to the Bar Council, as well as the President and Vice President of the Bar General Assembly.
Cameroon’s election management body, ELECAM, is supervising the process, and has already installed polling booths, ballot boxes, and other logistics to ease the vote.
Structure of the Cameroon Bar Association
The Cameroon Bar Association is governed by two key organs: the Bar General Assembly and the Bar Council.
The Bar Council serves as the executive arm of the association and is headed by a Batonnier, currently Mbah Eric Mbah.
Members of the Council are elected for two-year terms, renewable once.
The current leadership was elected in June 2022 but officially took office in 2023.
According to information gathered by MMI, the voting process begins with the election of members of the Bar General Assembly, followed by the Bar Council and finally the election of the Bar Council President.
Among the prominent candidates in the race are Barristers Tamfu Richard, Edward Lyonga Ewule, Derek Invo Buo, Fousse For Pag, Ebele Jean Jacques, and Muluh Stanley.
A Vote for Change
This year’s elections come at a time when Cameroonian lawyers face mounting challenges, including intimidation and harassment of human rights advocates like Barrister Tamfu Richard by security forces.
Key issues on the campaign trail include the regularization of Bar entrance examinations, which was recently organised for the first time in 10 years, and the construction of a modern headquarters for the association.
Incumbent Batonnier Mbah Eric Mbah has championed these reforms during his first term and vows to continue pushing for them if re-elected.
