How did Paul Biya’s early policies differ from Cameroon’s one-party political system?

Upon succeeding Ahmadou Ahidjo in 1982, Paul Biya initially sought to foster a more democratic society, marking a departure from the rigid authoritarianism of the previous era.123

While Cameroon remained a one-party state under the Cameroon National Union (later restyled as the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement), Biya’s early policies permitted competitive elections for party offices and the National Assembly. This contrasted with the centralized, single-party control established by Ahidjo, who had used the fear of ethnic conflict to justify suppressing civil rights.1243

However, this democratic opening was short-lived. A power struggle with Ahidjo and a 1984 coup attempt led Biya to reinstate many of the restrictive practices of the Ahidjo era. By the 1990s, despite eventually supporting legislation for a multiparty system, Biya employed various tactics to maintain his party's dominance, effectively resisting genuine democratization.5124