Campaign Time Draws Nearer

Preparations for campaigns that will culminate in the September 30, 2013 twin legislative and municipal elections are getting to the peak as the 15-day campaign period will rumble off next weekend.

At moment, there is all certainty as to the number of political parties to run for the 180 seats in the National Assembly and municipal councillors in the 360 councils in Cameroon. In all, 43 political parties will run for the two elections: 29 for the legislative election and 33 for the municipal election. The elections management, control and supervisory body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM further clarified all doubts during its board meeting as of right on September 3, 2013. It rehabilitated all the council lists, the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court in the rulings on pre-electoral candidacy petitions ordered to be restored. It also replaced ineligible candidates in some council lists and accepted and lists of some parties, rectified all material mistakes in the lists, replace dead candidates, and cancelled the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, CPDM list in Bibemi Council as ruled by the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court and that of the National Union for Democracy and Progress, NUDP in Bamenda III Council. The measure ushers all certainly on which party and candidates run for the municipal elections. The crucial step consequently gives the green light to the National Printing Press to proceed with the printing of ballot and campaign papers for the municipal election. This follows the printing of ballot and campaign papers for the legislative election by the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation, SOPECAM. The printing of ballot papers and campaign ballot papers are under the supervision of ELECAM.

The hustle and bustle for campaigns is more perceptible in political parties many of which are constituting campaign teams as well as carrying out pre-campaign field activities. The ruling CPDM has already constituted its campaign commissions right down to council level and the leaders are currently holding strategy meetings. The leading opposition, Social Democratic Front, SDF, already has campaign structures, that respond to realities of each area, its National Secretary for Communication, Beatrice Annembom said.

The civil society and international community willing to observe the campaign phase and polling operation proper in the twin elections are rushing to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, MINATD to obtain accreditations. The deadline for submitting files for accreditation is today, September 6. The Unit Head for Studies and Regulation in the Judicial Affairs Division of MINATD, Jean-Claude Tcheuwa said on September 4 that they had already received about 5,000 applications for accreditation, stating that they hope to have some 10,000 accreditation applications for the twin elections. The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Family has also produced a handbook to boost the participation and increasing winning chances for female candidates in September 30 polls.