Councillors begin withdrawing voters' cards

Council branch offices of Cameroon's elections governing body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) on March 20,2013 began distributing voters' cards to Councillors who constitute the electoral college for the April 14 Senate elections. Councillors were responding to a request from the Director General of Elections, Mohaman Sani Tanimou inviting them to personally report in ELECAM branch offices from March 20, 2013 in order to withdraw their voters' cards. The release further requested Councillors to come along with two passport-size photographs for administrative formalities.

From observations at ELECAM council branch offices visited yesterday March 20, 2013 in Yaounde the call was being heeded. A Yaounde VI councillor, Veronique Andzana Bekoe, was one of the first people to knock at the doors of ELECAM VI Branch office near the Gendarmerie Headquarters at Melen to withdraw her card. Unfortunately, her wish was not met. Not because her name did not feature on the list, but because she did not take along the passport-size photograph as instructed by the March 18, 2013 press release.

To complete the formalities, Veronique Andzana Bekoe, had only one option; rushing to a nearby photographer for some shoots. Unlike Andzana Bekoe, Second Deputy Mayor and councillor at the Yaounde VI council, Zacharie Bouli, came prepared. On hand to welcome, guide and verify his name was the ELECAM Council Branch Head, Aboubakar Garba. His pictures were immediately pinned to his card, fingerprints taken; card stamped, registered on the withdrawal form and handed to him.

Unlike Yaounde VI ELECAM Branch office, most cards in ELECAM office for Yaounde I Subdivision at Rue Draggages, Mballa II, already bore passport photographs. The Branch Head, Yves Bertrand Zanga, explained that most councillors came with their passport-sized photographs. As of now, they are only coming for other formalities like thumbprints and registration. Out of the 41 names on his register, 37 are being served while four are reported dead. The same number (41) holds for Yaounde VI branch office where the exercise was gaining steam. Besides the withdrawal of voters' cards by Councillors for Senate elections, the two ELECAM branch offices are also busy, attending to Cameroonians, registering for upcoming legislative and council elections.