The 23 members of the Permanent Bureau were all re-elected during a plenary sitting yesterday at the Ngoa-Ekelle Hemicycle.

Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, Member of Parliament from the Mayo-Sava constituency of the Far North Region, was yesterday, March 17, 2015, re-elected President of the Permanent Bureau of the National Assembly. Chairing the elective plenary sitting, the President of the Provisional Bureau and Eldest Member of Parliament, Hon. Enoh Tanjong, officially announced that Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, unique candidate for the post, had won by scoring 149 votes in his favour as against 23 abstentions out of the 172 total ballots cast.

Amidst cheers and applause from his peers, the rejoicing and applauding Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril who mounted the rostrum just after 5:30 pm, first had words of thanks to the National Chairman of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) who had, through the party’s parliamentary group Chief Whip at the National Assembly, Hon. Jean Bernard Ndongo Essomba, nominated him as candidate. “I will endeavour to merit this trust. Never in the past did I betray this trust. I will never betray it,” the Speaker-elect declared. After praising Hon. Enoh Tanjong for conducting the plenary with mastery and serenity, Hon. Cavaye Yeguie Djibril also thanked his colleagues who either voted him or not. “Once more, democracy was expressed in the hemicycle,” he affirmed before taking over the relay to preside over the election of the First Vice President of the National Assembly.

After nomination by the CPDM Chief Whip, Hon. Hilarion Etong was also re-elected as First Vice President of the National Assembly. The same fate followed the five Vice Presidents, four Questors and 12 Secretaries who were proposed on a consensus list by political parties represented in the National Assembly.

Yesterday’s session was watched not only by cabinet ministers but also by a delegation of 26 visiting students from the Harvard University in the United States of America.