Watch Out For Incompatibilities!

The race to the National Assembly and councils promises to be tough and some Cameroonians vying for such seats might be ignorant of what positions they occupy in government and which one can best fit them as an addition.

The April 19, 2012 law on the Electoral Code, amended and supplemented on December 21, 2012 is clear on this. Incompatibilities abound and so candidates must watch out. Chapter III Section 162 (1) of the Electoral code specifies that; "The office of Member of Parliament shall be incompatible with the office of member of government or of persons ranking as such, member of the Constitutional Council and of member of the Economic and Social Council."

It goes further to explain that; "The office of Member of Parliament shall further be incompatible with the office of Senator, Mayor, Government Delegate to a city council, President of a regional council, with any other non-chamber, board chairperson or with the status of wage earner in a public establishment or public and semi-public enterprise.

Section 163 (1) notes that; "The occupation of one of the posts referred to in Section 162 above shall render the parliamentary seat vacant" while (2) stressing that; "No Member of Parliament shall cause or allow his name to be followed by any reference to his capacity as Parliamentarian in any advertisement concerning a financial, industrial or commercial undertaking."

With regards to municipal councillors, Section 179 (1) is clear "The office of Governor, Secretary General and Inspector General at the governor's office, Senior Divisional Officer, Sub-divisional officers and their deputies shall be incompatible during the tenure of such office with the office of municipal councillor within the administrative unit of their jurisdiction. Article 2 also points out that; "The office of municipal councillor shall likewise be incompatible with the following positions: - police officer, gendarme, serviceman, prison administration officer and persons ranking as such; - secretary general of council, municipal revenue collector and municipal service head; - legal and judicial officer.

Section 180 in its article 1 says that; "A municipal councillor who, subsequent to election, becomes ineligible for office of the function concerned. Where no choice is made known within 15 (fifteen) days following accession to the said function, he shall be considered to have resigned by an order of the Minister in charge of local and regional authorities. Article 2 stipulates that; "No candidate shall be on more than 1 (one) list, nor be member of more than1 (one) municipal council."