Social Democratic Front (Cameroon)

The Social Democratic Front (Template:Langx) is the main opposition party of Cameroon. It was led by Ni John Fru Ndi from its foundation until his death in 2023, and receives significant support from the Anglophone Southwest and Northwest Regions.

History

The SDF was launched in Bamenda on May 26, 1990 in opposition to the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement; following the launching rally, six people were killed by security forces. The party held its Constitutive Assembly on February 3, 1991 and elected its National Executive Committee.<ref name=Launch>"Significant Events in the Life of the Social Democratic Front" Template:Webarchive, SDF website.</ref> The party refused to sign the Tripartite Declaration of November 1991, and it chose to boycott the March 1992 parliamentary election, along with the Democratic Union of Cameroon, due to the government's failure to meet opposition demands, which included the establishment of an independent electoral commission to oversee the election.<ref>Victor Julius Ngoh, "Biya and the Transition to Democracy", The Leadership Challenge in Africa: Cameroon Under Paul Biya (2004), ed. John Mukum Mbaku and Joseph Takougang, page 440.</ref> However, the party announced at its May 1992 national convention that it would take part in the presidential election later that year.<ref>Charles Manga Fombad and Jonie Banyong Fonyam, "The Social Democratic Front, the Opposition, and the Political Transition in Cameroon", The Leadership Challenge in Africa: Cameroon Under Paul Biya, page 469.</ref> Fru Ndi, the SDF candidate in the October 1992 presidential election, received about 36% of the vote against about 40% for incumbent President Paul Biya, according to official results.<ref>John Mukum Mbaku, "Decolonization, Reunification and Federation in Cameroon", in The Leadership Challenge in Africa: Cameroon Under Paul Biya (2004), ed. John Mukum Mbaku and Joseph Takougang, page 34.</ref> The SDF believes he was denied victory "at gunpoint". He has now been largely criticized in the national press for moving residence to Yaoundé.Template:Citation needed

The SDF won 43 seats in the National Assembly in the May 1997 parliamentary election,<ref name=Launch/><ref name=IRIN>"Cameroon: IRIN-WA Special Briefing on Presidential Elections", October 11, 1997.</ref><ref name=ResultsA>1997 election results Template:Webarchive.</ref> receiving its best results in Northwest Province, where it won 19 out of 20 seats; it also won a majority of seats in West Province, with 15 out of 25.<ref name=ResultsA/> It chose to boycott the October 1997 presidential election, along with the National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP) and the Cameroon Democratic Union (UDC).<ref name=IRIN/> In the June 2002 parliamentary election, the SDF won 22 seats;<ref>IPU PARLINE page for the 2002 election.</ref><ref name=Confirm>"Cameroun: l'écrasante victoire du parti de Biya aux législatives confirmée", AFP (Jeuneafrique.com), August 10, 2007 Template:In lang.</ref><ref name=Part>"Législatives partielles: le parti au pouvoir remporte 16 des 17 sièges", AFP (Cameroon-info.net), September 27, 2002 Template:In lang.</ref><ref name=ResultsB>2002 election results Template:Webarchive.</ref> it won one of these seats in a revote held for some constituencies on 15 September.<ref name=Part/> Although the party lost nearly half its seats in the 2002 election, it still dominated in Northwest Province, where it again won 19 out of 20 seats.<ref name=ResultsB/>

In the presidential election held on 11 October 2004, Fru Ndi stood again as the SDF candidate and won 17.4% of the vote according to official results, far behind Biya.<ref>Sylvestre Tetchiada, "Cameroon: Another seven years for the "absentee captain"" Template:Webarchive, Inter Press Service (afrika.no), October 27, 2004.</ref> In the July 2007 parliamentary election, the SDF won 14 out of the 163 initially declared seats,<ref name=Confirm/> and it won a further two seats (out of 17 at stake) in constituencies where the election was held over again in September, thus winning a total of 16 out of 180 seats.<ref>"Les résulats des législatives partielles proclamés par la Cour suprême", Xinhua (Jeuneafrique.com), October 15, 2007 Template:In lang.</ref> These additional seats were crucial, because the SDF could not form a parliamentary group unless it had at least 15 seats.<ref>"Cameroon: Leading opposition party banks on by-elections to form parliamentary group"Template:Dead link, African Press Agency, September 17, 2007.</ref> The party's electoral success remained largely confined to the Northwest Province, where it again won a majority of seats, with 11 out of 20.<ref>"Legislatives 2007: Les résultats de la Cour suprême" Template:Webarchive, Mutations (Cameroon-info.net), August 13, 2007 Template:In lang.</ref>

The SDF strongly opposed a constitutional amendment allowing Biya to run for president again in 2011. Its deputies boycotted the April 2008 parliamentary vote in which the amendment was approved, and it subsequently called for a "day of mourning" in which people were to wear black and stay home.<ref>"Protests against Cameroon's Biya", BBC News, April 21, 2008.</ref>

One key alliance is between the SDF and the female Takembeng mobilizations. These women provide protection for SDF officials and a key presence at SDF demonstrations.<ref name="DeLanceyMbuh2010">Template:Cite book</ref>

International affiliation

The party is a full member of the Socialist International<ref>List of Socialist International parties.</ref> and Progressive Alliance.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Electoral history

Presidential Elections

Election	Party candidate	Votes	%	Result
1992	John Fru Ndi	1,066,602	36.0%	Lost Template:N
1997	Boycotted
2004	John Fru Ndi	654,066	17.40%	Lost Template:N
2011		518,175	10.71%	Lost Template:N
2018	Joshua Osih	118,706	3.36%	Lost Template:N

National Assembly elections

Election	Party leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Position	Outcome
1992	John Fru Ndi	Boycotted		Template:Composition bar			Template:Eliminated
1997		685,689	23.5%	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 43	Template:Increase 2nd	Template:No2
2002				Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 21	Template:Steady 2nd	Template:No2
2007		425,435	13.6%	Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 6	Template:Steady 2nd	Template:No2
2013		508,901	12.6%	Template:Composition bar	Template:Increase 2	Template:Steady 2nd	Template:No2
2020				Template:Composition bar	Template:Decrease 13	Template:Decrease 3rd	Template:No2

External links

• Template:Official website Template:In lang