From 83 to 13: The road to Cameroon’s Presidential elections

Greeting Steemit Family

I’m still following the political situation in my country, Cameroon, and wondering what the next steps will be. Monday, 21st, was the last day for candidates to submit their files to run as aspiring candidates for Cameroonians to vote on October 12. I’m interested in politics, especially that of my country.

I usually take time to follow political debates on TV to stay informed about what’s happening in the sector. With the upcoming elections, the country is going through a tough time as expectations are high regarding who will become the next president. By the deadline for submitting candidates, the election body had received files for 83 candidates.

Yeah, it sounds like a joke, right? For me, it felt like a joke when I saw the list and the personalities who actually submitted their files. While I genuinely want a change in power, the number of candidates made me prefer the current regime.

As per procedure, the depositing of files is just the first stage. The election body will review the documents and then publish the list of qualified candidates for the elections. That is what has calmed me down, though I was initially worried about the number. Some might see the large number as a sign of hunger for change, but I see it as a fight for personal interests.

Why do I say this? If we truly want change, then we need to come together and form a strong team to unseat the current leader. The fact that everyone chose to go individually as candidates means we are not ready for change. I personally saw these actions as a joke. Like I mentioned earlier, I would prefer the current regime rather than bother myself with those hungry for power.

After a couple of days, ELECAM (the election body) reviewed the files and published the list of qualified candidates. The list dropped from 83 to 13, with one lady included among them. Now the list makes some sense, and you can better evaluate the candidates.

^source

It is not yet over, as the 70 candidates whose files were rejected still have one more chance to secure a place among the 13 selected. They have 48 hours to appeal to the Constitutional Council for a review of their documents. If ELECAM made any mistakes, some of them might still be added to the list.

One thing I feel was not made public was the specific reason for rejecting the 70 candidates. We only hear speculations that their documents were incomplete. With the new law added to the electoral code, for any political party to submit a candidate, the party must have a seat in parliament. For independent candidates, they must have 300 signatures. That is 30 from each region, which was very challenging for them.

Among the 13 retained candidates, there were no independent candidates. I have the impression that they were unable to gather the 300 signatures needed to validate their files. Well, I can’t confirm the exact reasons for the rejection of the 70 candidates.

We are now waiting for the final list that will be published by the Constitutional Council after reviewing the appeals of those whose files were rejected by ELECAM. So far, I think the list is okay. I’m ready to go to the polls, but I would still love to see a coalition among opposition candidates.

With a coalition, they would be able to present a stronger manifesto that could catch the attention of Cameroonians. If not, the opposition candidates should not bother themselves too much.

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Cheers
Thanks for dropping by
@fombae