Opposition Leader Fears Upcoming Municipal, Legislative Elections will not be free, fair as Anglophone Crisis Worsens

The Cameroon Reformation Party (CRP) has made known its intention to boycott the upcoming municipal and legislative elections slated for February 9, 2020.
Their reasons for a boycott, among others, are contained in a declaration by the CRP dated November 19, 2019 signed by its president, Mr Foligar Lang stating that the crisis in the two English speaking regions of Cameroon cannot enable transparency in the elections.

“The Cameroon Reformation Party (CRP), hereby declares today Tuesday the 19th of November 2019 that they will not be participating in the Municipal and Legislative Elections slated on the 9th of February 2020.”

“After careful considerations and cross examination of the current political unrest in the restive North West and South West regions,” the political party “fearlessly” noted the following points:

“1. The elections will not be free and fair
2.We have decided to put the safety of our militants first as there will not be adequate security and their protection on the Voting Day
3. Dialogue has failed and the future of Cameroon is looming with uncertainty in the coming weeks and months ahead
4.We will not be participating in an election when people are dying on a daily basis and some have become refugees and internally and externally displaced through out the national territory
5. And lastly, we will not at this time be doing politics on the blood of the innocent”.

The decision by the CRP comes on the heels of similar actions by other Cameroonian opposition political parties and stakeholders announcing their intention to boycott the upcoming municipal and legislative elections in the country on reasons of the deepening war in the Anglophone regions.

Though some of the candidates for the ruling CPDM party in the crisis hit Northwest and Southwest regions are currently displaced to the French part of the country by the crisis, the party is still firm that elections will fairly and freely go in the Northwest and Southwest.

By Beng Humphrey F.