Reference Documents for the Social Democratic Front

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Cameroon is the supreme law and shall have binding force on all authorities and persons exercising power on its behalf within and without the Federation.
Cameroon is a union of the peoples of the former la Republique du Cameroun and the former Southern Cameroons hereinafter to be known officially as the FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON.
The Federal Republic of Cameroon or any part thereof shall not be governed by any person or group of persons except as provided for by this Constitution.
All other laws which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Constitution shall, to the extent of such inconsistency, be null and void.

ARTICLE 2: SOVEREIGNTY AND NATIONAL CHARACTER

Cameroon shall be a sovereign, federal, democratic, bicultural, bilingual, bi-jural, social and secular state.
Sovereignty resides in the Cameroonian people. It is exercised by the people through a periodic free and fair elections; through referenda, and by established special organs or institutions invested with defined powers by this Constitution or laws made there under.
Cameroon shall be a Federation consisting of several states, and a Federal Capital Territory.
There shall be four states in the Federation, namely, ADAMAWA - MANDARA, FAKO - KILUM, NYONG - NGOKO and WOURI -BATIE.
New states may be created provided that the following criteria are respected:
(i) the history of the Federation concerning its bicultural, bilingual and bi-jural character;
(ii) that there is no merger of parts of the former la Republique du Cameroun with parts of the former Southern Cameroons territories, and
(iii) that the new state is geographically contiguous, culturally homogenous and economically viable.

The Federal Capital Territory shall be established by law of the Congress of the People. It shall enjoy special status.
The national capital and seat of the Federal Government shall be in the Federal Capital Territory.
The seat of the government of each state shall be determined by an Act of the State House of Assembly.
Each Federated State shall be divided into Local Government Areas with their Capital Towns designated by the State Government.

ARTICLE 3: OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

The official languages of the Federal Republic of Cameroon shall be English and French.
English and French shall have equality of status and of use in all Federal and Federated States institutions, official transactions and acts.
The Federal Government shall promote and ensure the acquisition and use of English and French by all citizens.
All official statutes, documents, records, minutes, notices, among others, shall simultaneously be printed and published in English and French both language versions being equally authentic.
Every one has the right to use either language in any office or in pleading in any court of law established under this Constitution.

ARTICLE: 4: NATIONAL MOTTO, FLAG, ANTHEM, SEAL & COAT OF ARMS:

The national motto of the Federal Republic of Cameroon shall be "PEACE WORK FATHERLAND".
The flag shall be of three vertical stripes of Green, Red and Yellow and charged with two intersecting gold circles in the middle of the Red stripe surrounded by four golden stars of equal size.
The National Anthem shall be "O Cameroon, Thou Cradle of our Fathers".
The seal of the Federal Republic of Cameroon shall be a Circular Medallion in bas-relief 46 millimeters in diameter bearing on the obverse and in the center the head of a girl in profile turned to the dexter towards a coffee branch with two leaves and flanked on the sinister by five cocoa pods, encircled beneath the upper edge by the French words REPUBLIQUE FEDERALE DU CAMEROUN and above the lower edge by the national motto PAIX-TRAVAIL-PATRIE; on the reverse and in the center the coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Cameroon, encircled beneath the upper edge by the English words FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON and above the lower edge by the national motto PEACE-WORK-FATHERLAND.
The coat of arms of the Federal Republic of Cameroon shall be an escutcheon surmounted on the main side by FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON and supported by two crossed faces with the national motto PEACE-WORK-FATHERLAND base.
The escutcheon shall be composed of a gold star as a field vent and triangle charged with the sword and scale of justice sable.

ARTICLE 5: POLITICAL PARTIES

The right to form political parties is hereby guaranteed.
The one party system or state party is hereby proscribed.
No organization shall function as a political party unless in conformity with this Constitution. Any such organization shall declare its existence by registering with the Federal Electoral Commission.
To register and function as a political party:
- (i)the membership of the organization must be open to every citizen of Cameroon; and,
- the name of the organization seeking recognition as a political party, its emblem, or motto shall not bear any ethnic, religious, gender or class connotation or give any impression that the mission of the association is to promote sectional interest.
- The Constitution and the internal rules of each political party shall guarantee periodical elections of the principal officers of the party on democratic basis at all levels.
- The party's governing body or executive committee must reflect the national character of Cameroon.
- Every Cameroonian of voting age, except service personnel of the Armed Forces and the Police and members of the Judiciary in active service, has the right to join and militate in a political party of his choice. No citizen shall belong to more than one political party at any given time.
- No citizen shall be compelled, in whatever manner to belong to a political party, nor shall any one receive or enjoy any favorable treatment or suffer any disadvantage for the reason of belonging or not belonging to a particular political party.
- Subject to the provisions of this Article each registered political party has the right to campaign and recruit members throughout the national territory, to collect and disseminate information on its political, social and economic programmed, and to sponsor candidates for any election to any public office.
- The State shall provide equal opportunities to all political parties to present their vision, ideologies, and programmed to the public by ensuring equitable access to the public media both during and outside election campaign periods.
- Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article of the Congress of the People shall enact laws setting out conditions for the functioning of political parties.
- The financing of political parties shall be through contributions of its members, gifts and legacies. The state may legislate on the financing of political parties and/or campaigns.

ARTICLE 6: SEPARATION OF POWERS

All Powers and Authority in the Federal Republic of Cameroon shall be exercised in strict compliance with the democratic principle of the separation of powers among the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary as provided for in this Constitution.

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