By Dr Esambe Livinus Njume
A political coalition is an alliance between two or more political parties, groups or individuals that cooperate to achieve a common goal, typically to gain power, influence policy or win elections. Parties must have shared goals to work effectively.
However, they may have to adjust their priorities to reach mutual beneficial agreements. This means that coalitions often require flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing circumstances. Open and honest communication is also crucial in building trust among coalition partners. Parties may need to negotiate and bargain to reach a consensus on policies, leadership and other important issues. Cameroon’s political landscape faces several challenges in forming a coalition. This write-up is an attempt to analyze some of these challenges and suggest the way forward.
Cameroon political landscape is characterized with a fragmented opposition. Cameroon has nearly 330 officially recognized political parties, according to the Ministry of Territorial Administration. Chile is the only country in the world that competes with Cameroon in terms of multiplicity of political parties with about 140 parties included in the Political Party Database Project.
According to Effective Number of Parties by Country 2025, Lebanon has an effective of parties 33.6, which is closest to Cameroon’s effective number. The multiplicity of political parties and leaders make it very difficult to form a united coalition. Four opposition parties, including the Union of the Population of Cameroon (UPC), Movement for Democracy and Defense of the Republic (MDR), Cameroon Party for National Reconciliation des Agriculteurs (PRAC) have publicly declared their support for President Paul Biya candidacy. The leader of Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM), Maurice Kamto faces uncertainty over his candidacy. Accordingly, PCRN is embroiled in an internal leadership tussle. The uncertainty of a possible alliance between Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari’s National Union for Democracy and Progress and other opposition figures adds complexity to the situation. Issa Tchiroma Bakary has suggested a strong coalition to confront the Cameroon People Democratic Movement (CPDM) in the October polls.Some opposition parties and civil society organisations are calling for street protests instead of forming a coalition. There is a danger that street protests can resort too easily during this period of uncertainty, thereby undermining the constitutional process. If the military has a stomach for high levels of blood shed like the case of Cameroon, then street protests can lead to higher casualties. It should be noted that huge street protests have brought down governments. However, opposition parties that rely heavily and regularly on such tactics must also expect to receive the same when they come to power. Street protests therefore, becomes as a very risky maneuver. Financial obligations pose yet another major challenge in forming a political coalition in Cameroon. Coalition partners may share costs associated with election campaigns. Coalition partners may also contribute financially to support joint activities, research or policy development, communications and administrative costs. Unfortunately, vote buying, intimidation, unfair promises, rural elites have often limited the way people understand and use finances during the election process. Most political parties are created with the aim of receiving funding from the state since the law provides financial support to political parties, particularly with those with elected representatives. The CPDM has significant influence over government institutions, which could be used to funnel support to favour even opposition parties. The CPDM’s system of patron-clientelism, where loyalty is rewarded with financial benefits and/or appointments makes it very difficult for opposition parties to form a coalition against the CPDM and operate effectively.Some opposition parties, civil society, and religious groups are equally calling on others to join in boycotting the elections. If the opposition opts for a boycott instead of forming a coalition the consequences would be cantankerous. The most obvious result would be that the incumbents would have an obsessed victory. A boycott of the election by a section of people may have political significance, but needs to be ignored unless it is total boycott by people, which cannot be ignored. For a boycott cause to have legitimacy and be effective, it has to have a broader popularity than the individuals, groups, organizations, parties, or states that originally coined the idea of a boycott protest. Amid this, not only a common man but advocates of boycott philosophy seem to be caught between the devil and deep blue sea. Some are already looking confused, chaosed and fuddled. Nonetheless, in general, those organizing and taking part in a boycott are often doing so because they are relatively weak. The high handedness of the dictatorial regime in place makes it difficult for coalition to be formed. President Paul Biya has been in power for forty-three years and the country has a history of authoritarian rule characterised by banning of political rallies, censoring the media and inprisonment of opposition figures. In January 2019, for example, Muarice Kamto and Alain Fogue were arrested after leading protests, which security forces dispersed with live bullets, and faced insurrection charges before a military court. Although, Muarice Kamto was released in October after spending nine months in jail, Alian Fogue is still incarcerated. This limits the space for genuine opposition parties to operate and form a coalition that can effectively challenge the ruling party.Moreover, there are concerns about transparency and accountability, which points to a natural division of interest within opposition parties. Corruption is significant issue in Cameroon and this can erode trust in political institutions and make it challenging to build coalitions. Different parties may have competing ambitions leading to conflict over leadership and policy priorities. Trust issues among opposition parties hinder coalition building in the sense that each party may have different ideologies or interest making it challenging to find common ground. The civil war in the restive the Northwest and Southwest regions is a significant challenge to National Unity. Instead of cementing peace and security in the restive regions, the government is only planning to convene the Electoral College in October 2025. Skeptics believe that voting could trigger a new round of instability and exacerbate the festering existing tensions in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. One of the biggest fears for the vote’s overall credibility and a major concern for some is the risk of an inadvertent ethnic (Anglophone) disenfranchisement. For this reason it siad argued that conveners of October Presidential Election are taking the Anglophone population for a ride. Elections have an essential role to play in the institutionalization of legitimate power, but if they are organized without an inclusive agreement this becomes a subject to security challenges, not to talk of building a political coalition. Cameroon is host to over 200 ethnic groups and these divisions can create tension and conflict within coalition. External factors, such as Russian disinformation and French preponderance can also impact the political landscape and make it extremely difficult for coalition to be formed and operate effectively. The way forwardThere are some key indications, which show that Paul Biya is going to be a candidate in the October 2025 Presidential Election. If this happens, then the necessity of building a coalition is a condition sine qua non to beat the incombent. Considering the fact that Election Cameroon’s (ELECAM) manoeuvres are increasing as they have continued contravening the electoral regulations to secure victory for the incombent. It should be noted that ELECAM officials have blatantly raped electoral regulations casting doubts on their ability to organize credible elections. They are simply bullied, corrupt and weak-minded. So, forming a coalition in such a quagmire electoral process has many advantages. Coalition members can pool human, financial and material resources and support to achieve common goals. Coalition can represent a wider range of interests and constituencies. They can also provide stability in a fragmented opposition, which lead to more inclusive and balanced policies.For this to happen with efficacy political parties need to clearly define their shared objectives and priorities of the coalitio. They also need to foster open and honest communication among coalition partners in order to build trust and understanding. They also need to clearly define the roles and responsibiltieas of each party within the coalition. Opposition political parties need to develop a shared vision and policy framework that reflects the interests and priorities of all coalition members because coalitions can be unstable and prone to conflict if parties have different interests or priorities. They need to encourage trust and cooperation among coalition partners through regular meetings, joint activities and collaborative decision making. It should noted that coalitions can collapse if parties can not agree on key issues or if trust breaks down. Therefore opposition parties shoud be willing to compromise and adapt to the changing circumstances and challenges. They should not forget to regularly monitor and evaluate the progress of the coaltion and make adjustments as needed. Finally, they need to ensure transparency and accountability within the coalition to build trust and credibility with supporters and the wider public.
Coalitions can be effective in achieving common goals, but they require careful management, compromise, and communication to succeed.