Cameroon opposition loses seats

The opposition in Cameroon has lost virtually all its influence in the National Assembly following the results of the 9 February legislative elections.

The results announced by the Constitutional Council show the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) having a huge majority with 139 seats out of 167.

The opposition Social Democratic Front lost 10 seats, and now has just five seats.

Seven opposition political parties share 28 seats in total.

Legal expert Ashu Ninety told the BBC that as it stands now, no opposition political party can constitute a parliamentary group and this means the opposition has lost the right to hold key positions in parliament and will not be able to push through reforms.

Elections were cancelled in 13 other seats, in Cameroon's troubled English-speaking regions, where separatist groups had called for a boycott. They are due to be held at a later date.