Commonwealth to assist CMR's electoral process

Commonwealth has promised to offer more assistance in Cameroon’s electoral process. Speaking in Yaounde yesterday, October 7, 2014, after paying a courtesy call on the Minister of External Relations, Prof. Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, Amitav Benarji, the Special Envoy of the Commonwealth Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, said his institution would like to continue to work with Cameroon to improve its political relationship with Commonwealth countries.

He said the Commonwealth had an observer team in Cameroon during the parliamentary and local council polls of September 30, 2013, and would want to follow up on its recommendations.

Amitav Benarji described the relationship between Cameroon and the Commonwealth as “varied and covering a large number of fields.” As head of the Political Division in the General Secretariat of the Commonwealth, he said he was personally involved in the promotion of such relations.

Earlier in the day, Kamalesh Sharma’s Special Envoy called on the Chair of the Electoral Board of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, Dr Fonkam Azu’u. “We also have a very excellent working relationship with ELECAM and hope to consolidate it,” he assured.

Amitav Benarji is in Cameroon as the Special Envoy of the Commonwealth Secretary General to the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA Conference holding in Yaounde. He said he availed himself of the opportunity to call on the Minister of External Relations, Moukoko Mbonjo. “I discussed the depths and breadths of our collaboration in various fields.

I am delighted that Cameroon is hosting the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, which is a very important step in the country’s relationship with the Commonwealth.

I would like to congratulate Cameroon for the excellent arrangements and the warm reception that is being extended to the visiting parliamentarians,” the guest explained.