Elecam enrols over 700 thousand new voters, promises objectivity

Cameroon’s elections management and supervision body, Elecam, has announced registering 755,085 new voters on the electoral list this year.

Elecam’s Director General, Dr Erik Essousse, released the statistics in Yaounde on September 3, taking the tally of total registered voters in the country to 8,116,960.

Based on the Elecam statistics, 58.70 percent of newly registered voters (443, 270) are male, while 41.30 percent are female (311,815).

The statistics also reveal that recent calls by the opposition and civil society for youths to enrol on the electoral list yielded fruits.

Elecam said youths represent 64.88 percent of the newly enrolled voters (489 869); while persons with disabilities constitute 0,09 percent (654).

Elecam ended voter registration for 2024 on August 31 and will only resume registration next January, which will be nine months to the country’s presidential election.

Speaking at a press conference on September 3, the Dr Essousse expressed confidence in the statistics Elecam released, stating that the institution is committed to objectivity and credibility.

“Our electoral list is a good one because we are working on joint commissions with all stakeholders, all partners in the electoral process,” he said.

“That is to say that when we are working there is a report. The report is there to testify that all persons or all stakeholders agree that what we have done in this report is done by all of us. And each stakeholder puts his signature on this document.

“We are working according to the law with impartiality, sincerity, objectivity and credibility, because if you can consider that all stakeholders are in the joint commissions, it will tell you that we are working according to the law,” he added.

The Elecam DG lauded the work they have carried out in the diaspora, where they enrolled 8,830 new voters.

This was the first time Elecam was carrying out voter registration abroad since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Despite the promising voter registration recorded, political figures like Maurice Kamto, Chairman of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement party, say more needs to be done to take voter registration to 10 million by October next year.

He appreciated Cameroonians both at home and abroad for the enrollment recorded so far.

“Your massive mobilisation has shown that when you want it, nothing can beat you, and that you will be the Indomitable Lions of the 2025 presidential election,” he tweeted on Sunday, September 1.

©Mimi Mefo Info