Social Democratic Front : What Next?

The 10th convention of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) has come and gone. Organised at the Yaounde Multipurpose Sports Complex over the weekend under the theme, “Together, transformed and more determined,” a new Chairman was voted in the person of Joshua Osih, former First Vice Chairman of the party, Member of Parliament and Questor at the bureau of the National Assembly. The National Executive Committee (NEC) was also renewed. A complete bureau is now in place. The question on every lip now is what next for the political outfit? 
The political landscape is evolving and the SDF has to follow suit to stay afloat. Going by the electoral calendar, municipal, legislative and presidential elections are expected to hold in Cameroon in 2023. The party thus has the heavy weight on its shoulders to increase its political presence within Councils and the National Assembly. The SDF boycotted the December 6, 2020 regional elections nationwide and cannot therefore boost of any Regional Councillor. The boycott mechanism seems to have a negative impact on the party and other political retaliating strategies need to be adopted to make known a point. Reviving the party at all levels is paramount as they seem to be witnessing a downward curve in political occupation. The 33-year-old party that had 43 seats at the National Assembly in 1991, now only has five elected representatives in the lawmaking House in the current legislative period. When the Senate was created in 2013, the SDF won 14 seats. They moved downward to seven seats in 2018 and now have just a single seat, currently occupied by Senator Mochiggle Vanigangsen, who was appointed by the President of the Republic on March 31, 2023. The one-time very powerfully present SDF no longer has a Parliamentary Group, neither at the National Assembly nor the Senate. This probably speaks volumes on the words of the new Chairman, Joshua Osih, who said “The SDF is back. The objective is to move ahead, win more positions in the local Council elections, parliamentary elections and to be present all over Cameroon. It is also our objective to be one of the strongest political forces in terms of public policy propositions.” Expectations are thus high. Joshua Osih’s rich political career and mastery of the political situ...