Clarifying Senatorial Election Process

All stakeholders of the 14 April elections of Senators have stepped up preparations ahead of voting.

A board meeting of Elections Cameroon that held in Yaounde yesterday, 20 April 2013 marked another serious step in the current process for the election of Senators on 14 April. The session is to examine files of candidates nominated by the eight political parties that are in the race for the Senate. Although the Electoral College for the 14 April 2013 Senate elections is known, the elections governing body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM has been working hard to meet the legal requirements and guarantee a hitch-free poll. Thus, the General Directorate of ELECAM has been open about the distribution of voters' cards and the voting modalities.

Since yesterday 20 March 2013, all major branches of ELECAM openly declared that they were already in possession of voters' cards and those concerned were asked to collect the cards before the deadline of 12 April, two days to Election Day. The law stipulates in Section 225 of the Electoral Code of 19 April 2012 that; "Senatorial electors shall each receive a registration card which must feature their full name, date and place of birth, photograph, finger prints, type of elective office, filiation, profession, domicile or place of residence."

Paragraph two specifies that the registration cards shall be used only during senatorial elections. Concerning the deadline for the distribution of the cards, Section 226 of the Electoral Code in paragraph one indicates that; "Registration cards shall be distributed by the divisional branches of Elections Cameroon, within the 20 days preceding the elections." And "Cards not distributed shall remain at the disposal of their holders until the close of the poll at the divisional branch of Elections Cameroon."

These and other provisions of the law are expected to be scrupulously applied by ELECAM in order to ensure that the first-ever election of Senators in the country ends in success. Such concern for the conduct of the poll must have informed the posture of the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation to publish a statement on 13 March 2013 calling organisations and civil society institutions that want to observe the election to send in their accreditation files before 29 March.

While ELECAM intensifies moves to ensure a level ground for the 14 April poll, it is almost certain that political parties involved are working hard to win over a percentage of the electorate given that not all those running for Senate have councillors. Those without councillors could have been brushed aside if their leaders were not politicians who matter Cameroon's political landscape. The leaders are either government Ministers or had been cabinet members in the past.

This simply means they know what they are gunning for. Such ingredients create openings for a political election that can be far from a one party exercise and even reserve some surprising challenges for anyone who takes the exercise for granted. Of course, the level of excitement generated by the convening of the Electoral College for the election of Senators was indicative of the stakes involved.

Yet, it may not be an overstatement to say that not all those in the race for the Senate may be as useful to the country, given the profiles of the candidates nominated by various political parties. However, that could simply go on record as part of the political gimmicks because no political party will go in for any election with the intention of losing. Such a premise makes it possible for any critical observer to give each political party a chance in an election, especially when the outcome means such much for the future management of State affairs in the country. It is therefore understood that both ELECAM and the government are obliged to ensure that the election process is sufficiently made clear to the public, electorate, and to political parties concerned.