Prime Minister of Cameroon

Under the current constitution, the Prime Minister of Cameroon is a relatively powerless executive. While the Prime Minister is officially appointed to be the head of government, the President retains most of the executive power and can fire the Prime Minister at will.

History

The position has existed in the eastern part of Cameroon since independence from France in 1960. When the western part gained independence from the British in 1961, the two halves of the Cameroon federation maintained their autonomy and each had a separate Prime Minister. In 1972, Cameroon became a unitary state and the position of Prime Minister was temporarily unfilled. In 1975, Paul Biya was appointed Prime Minister for all of Cameroon. After his succession to the Presidency, Biya refused to appoint a Prime Minister from 1984 to 1991.

List of Prime Ministers

East Cameroon (1960-1972)

1.	Ahmadou Ahidjo	1 January 1960	15 May 1960
2.	Charles Assalé	15 May 1960	19 June 1965
3.	Vincent de Paul Ahanda	19 June 1965	20 November 1965
4.	Simon Pierre Tchoungui	20 November 1965	2 June 1972

West Cameroon (1961-1972)

1.	John Ngu Foncha	1 October 1961	13 May 1965
2.	Augustine Ngom Jua	13 May 1965	11 January 1968
3.	Salomon Tandeng Muna	11 January 1968	2 June 1972

United Cameroon (1975-present)

1.	Paul Biya	30 June 1975	6 November 1982
2.	Bello Bouba Maigari	6 November 1982	22 August 1983
3.	Luc Ayang	22 August 1983	25 January 1984
*.	Position vacant	25 January 1984	26 April 1991
4.	Sadou Hayatou	26 April 1991	9 April 1992
5.	Simon Achidi Achu	9 April 1992	19 September 1996
6.	Peter Mafany Musonge	19 September 1996	Current