Political Career
In 1946, Ahidjo entered territorial politics. In 1957, from January 28 to May 10 Ahidjo served as President of the Legislative Assembly of Cameroon. In the same year he became Deputy Prime Minister in de facto head of state André-Marie Mbida's government. Upon independence in 1960, Ahidjo, as leader of the Cameroon Union, was elected as President, and he persuaded part of British Cameroon to join his country. He was reelected in 1965, 1970, 1975, and 1980, gradually establishing the complete dominance of his own party; he outlawed all other parties in 1976.
He faced a rebellion in the 1960s from a group calling itself the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, but defeated it by 1970. In the early 1970s he imposed an unpopular constitution which ended the autonomy of British Cameroon and established unitary rule. His actions were dictatorial; his country became one of the most stable in Africa. He was considered to be more conservative and less charismatic than most post-colonial African leaders, but his policies allowed Cameroon to attain comparative prosperity.
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