United Republic of Cameroon

1972–1982

The May 1972 referendum replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon, under President Ahmadou Ahidjo. The decade saw unitary institutions put in place (a unitary National Assembly, the office of Prime Minister created in 1975) and the first general population census in 1976. It ended with Ahidjo's resignation and Paul Biya's accession to the presidency on 6 November 1982.

Official sourceUNESCO – General History of AfricaPublished 1 Jan 1993Verified 4 Sept 2026

Events of this era

Events of this era
Date	Event	Source
2 June 1972	Proclamation of the United Republic of Cameroon	Official sourceNational Assembly of Cameroon
18 May 1973	1973 legislative elections and the unitary National Assembly	Official sourceNational Assembly of Cameroon
30 June 1975	Creation of the office of Prime Minister and Paul Biya’s appointment	Official sourcePresidency of the Republic of Cameroon
1976	First general population census of 1976	Official sourceCentral Bureau of the Census and Population Studies (BUCREP)