ABSTRACT
President Ahmadou Ahidjo was succeeded by Prime Minister Paul Biya, his constitutional successor. Although Biya had promised to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor when he took over the presidency, he was also prepared to create a new society where there would be a greater degree of tolerance, individual liberty, and freer exchange of ideas, judging by speeches and actions following his inauguration. Despite opposition to Biya’s selection as president and the apparent split within the party’s executive caused by his selection, the former president was determined to see Biya as his successor. The first opportunity for Biya to establish his independence and authority occurred early in 1983, when he solicited but failed to follow Ahidjo’s recommendations on a cabinet shuffle which was implemented on April 12, 1983. Biya’s New Deal political changes, intended to portray him as a reformer, operated in such a way that they did not jeopardize his control of the institutions of power and authority.
