Cameroon former National Assembly president Cavaye Yéguié Djibril dies at 86

Former president of Cameroon’s National Assembly and longtime political figure Cavaye Yéguié Djibril has died at the age of 86.

His passing comes just 50 days after he relinquished his position as speaker, which he occupied for a record 34 years.

Local media report that he died in his home village of Mada in the Far North Region, where he had retired to in March this year.

First elected as parliament speaker in 1992, Djibril was a key figure in President Paul Biya’s authoritarian regime and played a pivotal role in Cameroon’s political landscape.

Critics say that under Djibril’s tenure as leader of the House, the legislature seldom fulfilled its potential as a counterweight to executive power.

One of the president’s most prominent supporters, under his leadership, Biya initiated and obtained all the reforms which allowed the perpetuation of his power.

This included the 2008 constitutional reform which resulted in the removal of presidential term limits, allowing Biya to stand for re-election indefinitely.

It also granted the president extensive immunity from prosecution for actions taken while in office.