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Biya promulgates Law 2008/001 removing the two-term presidential limit

On 14 April 2008 President Paul Biya promulgated Law No. 2008/001 amending the 1996 Constitution so that the president ‘shall be eligible for re-election.’ In the causal graph this event strengthens Biya Anglophone crisis and succession, a driver that weakens Having a say in government — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

On 14 April 2008 President Paul Biya promulgated Law No. 2008/001 amending the 1996 Constitution so that the president ‘shall be eligible for re-election.’ The National Assembly had adopted the bill on 10 April after Social Democratic Front deputies walked out.

Context

He proposed the change in a New Year speech and signed the Act. Parliament voted. Opposition called it a hold-up.

10 April Assembly vote; 14 April promulgation. Stored as one 2008 assent Fact. Keep Biya promulgates Law 2008/001 removing the two-term presidential limit on 2008-04-14 separate from neighbouring Biya instruments.

The president of Cameroon is head of state and commander-in-chief. He promulgates laws the National Assembly has passed and is proclaimed by the Constitutional Council. He does not write Human Rights Watch reports, OHCHR mission annexes, Access Now filings, or AFP fact-checks.

Why it matters

The path is electoral integrity and transfer capacity: a completed term-clock reset.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Paul Biya

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    verified

    He promulgated. The Assembly voted. Sharing passage is not a reason to drop the signature.

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.Reuters — Cameroon’s Biya signs law allowing third term bid, 15 April 2008Reuters · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Law No. 2008/001 of 14 April 2008 to amend the Constitution, signed Paul Biya, YaoundéPresidency of the Republic of Cameroon / Legal Tools · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon / Legal Tools carries the official instrument or communique. Reuters records the same dated act independently.

Established: He promulgated Law 2008/001 on 14 April 2008 making the president indefinitely re-eligible.

The Assembly voted. Sharing passage is not a reason to drop the signature.. A later repeal, court stay, or successor order would be a different Fact with a different date. That pair identifies Biya promulgates Law 2008/001 removing the two-term presidential limit, not a later speech about Biya promulgates Law 2008/001 removing the two-term presidential limit.

Co-authors and later implementers named in Context remain on the file. If a later repeal, stay, or successor instrument exists, it needs its own date and its own row. The contribution described on this Person row is limited to He promulgated. The Assembly voted. That limit is the alternative to treating office-holding as authorship of every later series.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorPaul Biya
  2. contributed toFactBiya promulgates Law 2008/001 removing the two-term presidential limit
  3. strengthensDrivers (3)Biya Anglophone crisis and succession
  4. weakensIndicatorHaving a say in government

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Biya promulgates Law 2008/001 removing the two-term presidential limit. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/cm-biya-term-limits-2008

https://factrail.ai/facts/cm-biya-term-limits-2008

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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