2020 municipal elections: more women were expected but…

The female gender poorly represented in municipal elections

Women are still largely underrepresented at all levels of power, especially at the local level. According to the Head of the Studies, Statistics, Planning and Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Decentralization and Local Development (MINDDEVEL), Ms. Lydie Chantal Meye Nkoum, out of 151,022 people working in decentralized local authorities, only 3,689 are employed, all categories combined, representing a percentage of 2.45%. In terms of the 360 ​​municipal executives in Cameroon, 38 female mayors have been registered since 2013 (10.56%), and no Government Delegate for urban communities. Within MINDDEVEL the statistics are no more interesting for women: 3/18 senior managers and 18/150 assistant directors. The municipal elections of February 9, 2020 showed that women do not get involved enough in politics: 2500/16280 seats to be filled in the communes on the 633 lists validated by Election's Cameroon (ELECAM) and only 70 lists were led by women .