Paul Biya and wife, Chantal Biya exercised their voting rights by mid day yesterday before making important press declarations and a tour of the capital city, Yaounde.
Dance groups enlivened the atmosphere yesterday, 30 September 2013 at the Government Bilingual Primary School, Bastos in Yaounde where President Paul Biya accompanied by First Lady, Mrs Chantal Biya voted. On arrival at 11:48 a.m. the Presidential Couple was welcomed outside the polling station by local administrators of the Centre Region and some Cabinet Ministers, including the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, René Emmanuel Sadi, the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o and the Delegate General for National Security, Martin Mbarga Nguele. Inside the Polling Station, Maurice Omgba, the Chairperson submitted President Biya to the same ritual reserved for all voters that turned up for the exercise.
There was the identification of the voter, a presentation of ballot papers for the two elections- Legislative and Municipal - and the booth where voters had to select their ballot paper before dropping the rest into a waste basket and returning to cast their ballot.
The Head of State dutifully went through the voting process, followed by First Lady Chantal Biya. Each voting exercise concluded with the signing of the voters' register and the finger print alongside the voter's name. The Presidential Couple equally dipped their index fingers into the indelible ink as proof of having effectively voted. All these stages of the voting process were meticulously performed by the Presidential Couple.
National and international observers who were inside and outside the polling station watched the Head of State and wife cast their votes. In his characteristic manner, the Head of State took off time to shake hands with some of the observers and all the polling officers. After the exchanges in a rather relaxed mood, President Biya readily took questions from the press on what he thought about the polling exercise.
After acknowledging the presence of the dance groups and many onlookers, he then took off on a memorable tour of the city taking the convoy through Tsinga, Carrefour Warda, passing by the Ministries of National Education, Public Service and Administrative Reforms as well as Energy and Water Resources, the EMIA Roundabout, Melen, Carrefour Obili, Vogt Roundabout, Mvolye, Olezoa, Post Office Roundabout, May 20 Avenue and back to the Unity Palace.
Besides lauding the brio with which Elections Cameroon, ELECAM has been conducting the electoral process since the election of Senators last 13 April 2013, the Head of State said the Constitutional Council was soon going to be put in place while activities marking the Reunification of Cameroon were certainly going to be held before the end of this year once some finishing works are over in Buea. He expressed delight with the democratisation process in the country, saying there were signs that Cameroon is getting more mature in terms of accepting the culture of democracy.
