Cameroon Approves Amendment to Reinstate Vice President

Cameroon's parliament overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment on Saturday to reintroduce the position of vice president, granting President Paul Biya sweeping authority over the role amid concerns from opposition groups that it entrenches his long-standing control.

In a joint session of the National Assembly and Senate in Yaounde, lawmakers voted 200 in favor, 18 against and four abstentions on the bill, which now awaits Biya's signature within 15 days to become law. The measure allows the 93-year-old president, who has governed the central African nation since 1982, to appoint and dismiss the vice president at will. The deputy would exercise only powers delegated by Biya and, in the event of the president's death, resignation or incapacity, would serve out the remainder of the seven-year term without triggering immediate elections. The vice president would be barred from initiating constitutional changes or running in the subsequent election.

Biya, the world's oldest serving leader, secured an eighth term in a disputed October election that opposition parties claimed was rigged, sparking protests that resulted in at least four deaths. The amendment revives a position...