Cameroon has recorded 210,000 new voter registrations, as the country prepares for two important elections this year, data from Election Cameroon (ELECAM), the election management authority, has revealed.
Elecam’s Board Chair, Enow Abrams Egbe, has lauded the voter registration turnout, noting that it is 45 percent higher than the figure registered during the first quarter of last year.
Cameroon will be holding the presidential election in October this year, which will precede the country’s second regional elections. The first one took place in 2020, with municipal councillors constituting the electorate.
Increasing Momentum to Unseat Biya
Ahead of the October presidential election, the opposition has been urging people to register on the voters list and make their voices count as several candidates seek to challenge President Paul Biya’s 42-year stay in power.
The election management body, ELECAM, says the country is fully into the election year and that it is taking every necessary measure to ensure smooth elections.
During a board meeting in Yaoundé on March 13, Dr Enow Abrams Egbe announced a new online platform Elecam has created to allow voters check their status remotely.
The innovation comes amid criticisms from prominent politicians like Prof Maurice Kamto about Elecam’s lack of transparency in voter registration.
The opposition leader strongly criticised Elecam’s delay in publishing the list of registered voters in December last year. He interpreted it as the institution’s attempt to aid electoral fraud, which he has repeatedly accused the ruling CPDM party of orchestrating to keep President Biya in power.
ELECAM Contests Allegations
ELECAM has consistently denied its engagement in fraud, noting that electoral registers have been published at its local offices across the country.
During Thursday’s board meeting, Elecam’s board chair said they are making efforts to boost political participation among youths, women and vulnerable groups such as persons living with disabilities.
Over the years, voter participation among these groups has been significantly low, as they mostly shy away from political engagement. This problem has kept youths, women and persons with disabilities under-represented in decision-making positions.
There have been continuous calls for youths and women, especially, to be more politically active and participate in determining who leads the country.
On March 8, during the International Women’s Day celebrations, women in the South West Region received a strong call to register and vote in the upcoming elections.
Mimi Mefo Info
