The decree signed by President Paul Biya Friday, March 6, 2020 follows Constitutional Council decision no. 29/SRCER/G/20 of February 25, 2020 to cancel the election of Members of Parliament in the following constituencies: North West Region – Menchum North, Bui West, Mezam South, Bui Centre, Bui South, Mezam Centre, Momo East, Menchum South, Momo West and Mezam North – and South West Region – Lebialem.

The election rerun in the aforementioned constituencies shall begin at 8.00 a.m. and end at 6.00 p.m., the President decreed.

Cameroon-Info.Net understands that the partial annulment of the outcome of the February 9, 2020 legislative elections came after the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, seized the Constitutional Council citing irregularities that breached laws relating to elections in the country.

SDF lawyers and candidates had prayed the Constitutional Council to partially annul the elections on grounds of insecurity, and the creation of polling centres which disenfranchised their voters.

“From the foregoing, we find merit in the petitions and hold that there were irregularities in the electoral operations of February 9, 2020 to elect members of parliament which influenced the outcome of the elections and entirely grant the prayers of the petitioners that the said election in Menchum North, Bui West, Mezam South, Bui Centre, Bui South, Mezam Centre, Lebialem, Momo East, Menchum South, Momo West and Mezam North constituencies be cancelled and a rerun ordered in compliance with Section 135 of the electoral code,” reporting judge Prof. Paul Nkwi said in his preliminary report which was later upheld by the presiding judge Clement Atangana who put the election turnout at nearly 46 per cent.

Going by Section 136 of the Electoral Code, “the decisions of the Constitutional Council relating to elections, election results and candidatures shall be final”.

As such, the March 22 rerun comes within no less than 20 days and no more than 40 days after the cancellation in keeping with Section 135(2) of the Electoral Code.

“In the event of cancellation of the elections, notification thereof shall forthwith be made to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Elections Cameroon,” the electoral code states in its section 135(1).

Political pundits posit that this rerun may help improve the fortunes of the opposition SDF which emerged from the February 9 twin municipal and legislative elections with its worst performance ever – securing just five seats. They harvested 18 seats in the 2013 elections.

President Paul Biya’s Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) got 139 out of 167 declared seats in the February 9 polls.