Abstract:
This thesis examines the effects of national security on democracy and
governance in Cameroon between 2014 and 2023. The aim is to demonstrate how
governments in a democracy can use national security against democratic and good
governance rules for political gains. Cameroon experienced several armed conflicts
and political crises in this period and held all its major elections within this period
too. These two factors shaped the country’s national security, which adversely
affected democracy and governance. To demonstrate this view, the thesis employs
the content analysis technique to analyze 42 selected government communication
documents. Through this, the thesis contributes to the method and understanding of
ways in which national security policies affect democracy and governance. Drawing
from critical security theories, the research concludes that national security has a
direct negative effect on good governance and democracy especially when there is a
security threat and elections involved. This is because those in power will use the
situation for political gains. Lessened power of the executive and attributed proper
independence to the judiciary, legislative and election bodies among other things can
create a balance.
