ELECAM Assesses Progress Made on Biometric Registration

Members of the Electoral Board began meeting in Yaounde yesterday in an ordinary session.

The Board Chair of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), Samuel Fonkam Azu'u says biometric registration is evolving and more information will be provided by the Director General of Elections. Fonkam Azu'u spoke in Yaounde yesterday June 6 at the opening of the second ordinary session of the Electoral Board for 2012.

He told the press that a text will be made public, in accordance with the law, containing all necessary information. The information, he added, will be from the Director General of Elections.

On when Cameroonians should expect the start of the recompilation of the new voters' list, ELECAM Board Chair explained that Board Members were expecting the Director General of Elections, who is in charge of the operational arm of elections to give them an update on the advancement of the biometric registration. He however said there was no need to speculate on when recompilation will begin. Top on the agenda of the two-day Board meeting also is the evaluation of activities and how to amend ELECAM rules to conform to the new Electoral Code.

Given that after the promulgation of the Electoral Code on April 19 by the President of the Republic, 17 members of the Electoral Board carried out field tours to the 58 Divisions of the country to meet stakeholders of the electoral process, a report on the field tours is expected during this session. Fonkam Azu'u hinted that the raison d'être of going to the field was to exchange views on the innovations of the code and to provide clarifications on the biometric registration, an objective he said, was met.

The presentation of the progress report of the Director General of Elections, the adoption of the draft resolution to amend the standing orders of ELECAM, a report on the field tours undertaken by members of the Electoral Board and another on the third meeting between ELECAM and other stakeholders of the electoral process and on the bridge training offered by the African Union Elections Support Unit are highpoints of the session that ends this June 7. It comes after the March 14, 2012 ordinary session that resolved to deploy mobile teams to the field.