The appointment of 30 Senators completes the list of 100 for the Upper House of Parliament.

President Paul Biya on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 appointed the 30 substantive Senators and their alternates as provided for in Section 215 (3) of the Electoral Code which states that the President of the Republic shall in a decree publish within 10 days following the proclamation of results by the Constitutional Council, the list of the remaining 30 Senators.

The Supreme Court sitting in for the Constitutional Council officially proclaimed the results of the April 14 first ever election of Senators in Cameroon on Monday, April 29. The 70 elected and 30 appointed Senators will obviously start work on Tuesday, May 14, 2013, in compliance with Section 215 (2) of the Electoral Code which specifies that “The Senate shall meet as of right in ordinary session on the third Tuesday following the proclamation of the results of senatorial election by the Constitutional Council.” The Senators will receive their attributes empowering them to set the bases for effective work.

The 30 Senators and their 30 alternates the President of the Republic, Paul Biya appointed on May 8, come to increase the number of parties to participate in the country’s first ever Senate. During the April 14 election, the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM won 56 seats and leading opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF 14 seats. The list of the appointed Senators includes officials of other political parties.

For example, Ngayap Pierre Flambeau, substantive Senator from Littoral is the Secretary General of the National Union for Democracy and Progress, NUDP, Dakole Daissala one of the substantive Senators from the Far North is the National President of the Movement for the Defence of the Republic, MDR and Hamadou Abbo, substantive Senators from the North is supporter of the Cameroon National Salvation Front, FSNC. Youmo Koupit Adamou, an alternate Senator from the West is a supporter of the Cameroon Democratic Union, CDU.

The Head of State through the appointments, has also increase the number of female Senators, three of them substantive Senators and four alternates. For the substantive female Senators, there are Aboui Marlyse from the East, Hayatou Aicha Pierrette from the North and Bisseck Paulette from the South. The alternate female Senators are Bell Marie Mélanie from the Littoral, Regina Mundi Elisabeth from the North West and Ndo Angeline  from the South and Mambe Agnes from the South West. The number of female substantive Senators increase to 21 as 18 of them were elected and substantive ones to 33 as 29 were elected.