Senate : New Legislative Period, Fresh Perspectives

The Senate of Cameroon is a democratic institution charged with accelerating the decentralisation process. Besides is statutory duties of voting laws and controlling government action, Senators have the duty of collaborating with decentralised local authorities to fast track development and meet the aspiration of the people of various communities. Senators going by Section 214 of the Electoral Code, have a mandate of five years and 10 of them represent each region in the law-making House. The third legislative period (2023-2028) of the Senate officially begins today April 11, 2023 with the session as of right. A total of 100 Senators will after taking their attributes begin defending the interest of the common man. With a House that has an over 60 per cent of new faces, the population has expectations from the Senators. New and promising actions are expected from the new mandate. 
Amongst the perspectives is a stronger implication of Senators in the decentralisation process. The General Code on Regional and Local Authorities gives Senators the right to participate in Council sessions and collaborate with locally elected officials for the wellbeing of everyone. Good cooperation definitely translates to better actions and makes for a good interpretation of legal instruments. Section 166(4) of the abovementioned Code states that Senators of the Council of attachment shall attend Council board meetings in an advisory capacity. Councils, going by the, law are the basic local authorities and their overall objective is to ensure local development and improve the living environment and conditions of its inhabitants. That means Senators need to collaborate with Mayors and other locally elected officials to guarantee the wellbeing of their constituents. With the putting in place of Regional Councils; an institution that has the objective, inter alia, to ensure the representation of the region’s indigenous people, minorities and gender, Senators too have the duty of working in partnership with them. This is because the General Code on Regional and Local Authorities in its Section 276 (2) further states that Parliamentarians and Mayors of the region shall atten...