Lebialem - Stainless Polls

Despite continual downpours that began as early as 4 a.m, September 30th, the electorate began casting their votes across Lebialem Division in the South West region as early as 8 am.

The rules of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), which excluded all acts of fraud, intimidations, party uniforms, gadgets and any other items identifying political parties, were optimally respected. Polling delegates of different political parties, including the ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), the People's Action Party (PAP) and the National Union for Democracy and Progress (NUDP) separately expressed satisfaction at the 38 polling stations Cameroon Tribune probed.

Though peace reigned in polling halls, voters expressed pockets of discontent from one neighborhood to another. Firstly, the previous size of polling stations was almost halved due to low registration rates. Voters were compelled to trek several kilometers from their residence to newly assigned polling areas. Chunks of aged and physically challenged persons did not vote. Again, others who possessed voters' cards did not find their names on voters' lists. More to that, the decision by ELECAM to deploy none indigenes to represent the elections management body and administration in the hinterlands created a bunch of communication barriers, giving that voters who could neither express themselves in English nor French, the nation's official languages, acted uncertainly.

It's note worthy that the ruling CPDM contested for the lone parliamentary seat and all the three councils, the PAP eyed the parliamentary seat and two councils, while NUDP showed interest in only one council, Alou. Some 21,000 voters went to the polls.