Over 75 Percent Participation in Council, Parliamentary Polls

The participation rate in the Monday, September 30, 2013 twin legislative and municipal elections in seven out of the ten regions by the evening of the polling day yesterday was 75 per cent. The Director General of Elections at Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, Mohaman Sani Tanimou made the revelation during an encounter with the press at the ELECAM Bastos headquarters in Yaounde.

"I am quite satisfied. It was not easy for us to organize the twin elections. We are very proud to have succeeded," Mohaman Sani Tanimou said. Explaining the participation rate in detail, he said Adamawa had 80 per cent, Centre 75, East 70, Far North 82, North 85, West 75 and South West 75 per cent. He said reports from the Littoral, North West and South Regions were being awaited, expressing the hope that the participation rate was to increase as more reports on the conduct of the polls trickle in.

The Director General of Elections disclosed that problems were recorded in the polling exercise such as some political parties that did not have representatives in Local Polling Commissions, voters who came without National Identity Cards and/ or voter's cards, others who did not find their names on the rolls and the insufficient number of ballot papers of some candidates in some polling stations. He said they had proactive responses to these problems as ELECAM Regional Delegates and branch heads in the areas concerned were instructed to tackle the problems at their levels, which they effectively did. ELECAM had taken measures to curb most of the problems, as well as to enable people with disabilities effectively vote.

Elections Cameroon, he said will continue to follow up the entire electoral process that include post- elections petitions, proclamation of results, organization of by-elections if there will be any and from January 2014 carry out the revision of the electoral register within the country and do recompilation of the registers abroad.