Decree no. 2020/547 of September 7, 2020 to convene the electoral colleges for the election of Regional Councillors says electors shall cast their ballot at divisional headquarters across the country on December 6.

Voting shall begin at 8 a.m. and shall end at 6 p.m., the president decreed.

Before convening electors to the polls today, the President signed two decrees last week detailing the number of seats per division, as well as setting the modalities for the imminent polls.

Decree N° 2020/527 of September 2, 2020, fixes the conditions and terms of payment of members of the Electoral College while Decree N° 2020/526 of   September 2, 2020, fixes the number of seats for regional council per division and per category.

Article 2(1) of Decree N° 2020/527 of September 2, 2020, states that during the election of regional councillors, members of the electoral colleges shall be entitled to a lump-sum allowance to cover the cost while Article 2 (2) specifies that FCFA 50.000 will be allocated to each and every member of an electoral college who effectively participates in the election.

The election of regional councillors comes to fulfil provisions of Part X, Articles 55 to 62 of Cameroon’s Constitution of 1996 with amendments through 2008. As part of steps towards resolving the protracted crisis in the country’s North West and South West Regions, the General Code on Regional and Local Authorities was adopted in 2019 in view of deepening decentralisation.

In June, the election management body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) announced its readiness to organize Regional Elections once the date is fixed.

Grumbling over sharing of seats

Wednesday’s decree fixing the number of regional councillors per division and per category was received with mixed feelings in some areas.

In the South West region, for example, of the 90 regional councillors, Fako Division has 24, Meme 18, Ndian 16, Manyu 13, Kupe Muanenguba 10, and Lebialem 9. The lion’s share harvest by Fako division has been the subject of grumbling. Although some say the distribution of seats is influenced by the number of subdivisions, others say if that were to be the case, then Ndian would have been on top.

While Fako has 24 seats with only seven subdivisions, Ndian with nine subdivisions could only have 16 seats behind Meme Division that had 18 seats with only five subdivisions.

With the North West and South West Regions to have 20 traditional rulers as part of the 90 regional councillors, just like any of the other eight regions, many are now seeking to know what form the Special Status for the English-speaking regions will take.

Officials of the Ministry of Decentralisation and Local Development have been quick to point out that the Special Status package is in gestation and will include a House of Chiefs exclusive to the two Anglophone regions.

Kamto names shadow cabinet, swears to block polls

On Tuesday, September 1, Professor Maurice Kamto, President of the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM, signed several decisions appointing his special advisers as well as National Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries.

Given that Kamto’s appointments are akin to that of the SDF Shadow Cabinet, pundits say the CRM chairman has picked men and women with whom of materialise his promise of blocking the imminent regional elections.

Kamto has threatened to lead street protests in order to unseat President Paul Biya “if he goes ahead to organize regional elections within the present context.” 

SDF demands review of electoral code, ceasefire in NW, SW

Just like the CRM, the Social Democratic Front, SDF, says they cannot participate in upcoming regional elections if the regime does not level the playing ground by resolving the Anglophone crisis and revising the current Electoral Code.

SDF National Chairman, Ni John Fru Ndi said on September 2 that the party can no longer participate in “an electoral masquerade like that of 2020”.