Election Public Funding Procedures Being Finalised

Political parties are waiting for the public funds to complement their resources.

The Director of the Department of Political Affairs in the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, MINATD, Yomo Alexandre-Marie says government was finalising the process of the procedure for the public funding of the September 30, 2013 twin legislative and municipal elections.

He disclosed in his office yesterday, September 10, 2013 that every data for the elections was already at the disposal of government to finalise the funding procedures. Yomo Alexandre-Marie showed statistics from Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, on the number of political parties to run for each of the elections and the number of lists concerned. For legislative election, finally, 30 political parties with a total of 208 lists will contest for the 180 seats in the National Assembly. Concerning the legislative election, he said 35 political parties with a total of 735 lists will run for councilors in the country's 360 municipal councils.

Preparations for the September 30 twin elections are gradually driving towards the climax with campaigns to start this weekend. The competing political parties have been working round the clock on winning campaign strategies through manifestoes, posters and other programmes. They also formed campaign teams and some parties have carved out the constituencies into zones to facilitate campaign. As at moment, political parties have done all these preparations with their own resources, while waiting for public financing provided for in the Electoral Code.

Not all the political parties in the September 30 polls will receive the same amount of money for the public funding of campaigns from the government. "Section 284 (1) of the Electoral Code provides that, "The State shall contribute to the funding of election campaigns by defraying some expenses of political parties or candidates." Section 285 of the Electoral Code further states that, "Public funds earmarked for the funding of election campaigns for the election of Members of Parliament, Senators, regional or municipal councilors, shall be shared in two equal parts among the political parties taking part in the elections.

Specifically, "The first part shall be paid after the publication of the lists of candidates to all parties depending on the lists submitted and endorsed in the various constituencies; the second part shall be paid after the proclamation of results to parties proportionately to the number of seats obtained."