st held 17 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RDCP 109, SDF 43, UNDP 13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note -
results from 7 contested seats were cancelled by the Supreme Court,
further elections on 3 August 1997 gave these seats to the RDPC

note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the
legislature, to be called a Senate, but it has yet to be established

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president); High Court of Justice (consists of nine judges and 6
substitute judges, elected by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC
[Adamou NDAM NJOYA]; Democratic Rally of the Cameroon People or RDCP
[Paul BIYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole
DAISSALA]; Movement for the Liberation and Development of Cameroon
or MLDC [leader NA]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MLJC
[Marcel YONDO]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP
[Maigari BELLO BOUBA, chairman]; Social Democratic Front or SDF
[John FRU NDI]; Union of Cameroonian Populations has two sections
UPC-N [Ndeh NTUMAZAH] and UPC-K [Augustin Frederic KODOCK]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Cameroon Anglophone Movement
or CAM [Vishe FAI, secretary general]; Southern Cameroon National
Council [Nfor Ngala NFOR, acting]

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C,
CCC, CEEAC, CEMAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC,
OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Jerome MENDOUGA

chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790

FAX: [1] (202) 387-3826

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John M. YATES

embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde

mailing address: P. O. Box 817, Yaounde; pouch: American Embassy,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-2520

telephone: [237] 23-40-14, 22-25-89, 23-05-12, 22-17-94

FAX: [237] 23-07-53

branch office(s): Douala

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side),
red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red
band; uses the popular