2018 Senatorial Elections: Opposition May not Have Even Single Senator

Campaigns for the March 25, 2018 senatorial elections in Cameroon have been launched. The campaigns that were launched on Saturday March, 10 2018, involve 9 political parties vying for the 70 seats in the upper house of Parliament.

From every indication, the CPDM party of President Paul Biya stands the chance of grabbing all the 70 senatorial positions this year.

This is because the elections management body in Cameroon known as Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) has approved all CPDM lists across the 10 regions of the country.

No CPDM list has been rejected as was the case in the 2013 senatorial elections when the CPDM list in Adamawa region and that of the West region, were rejected thereby, paving the way for the SDF party to win the elections in these regions.

However, this might not be the case in the 2018 senatorial elections. SDF though being the principal opposition party in Cameroon, will have to fight fervently like any other opposition party in the country to win seats in the senate.

Statistics from the headquarters of ELECAM indicate that the electoral list for the March 25, 2018 senatorial elections has been updated considering that only municipal councilors are the electors.
The information indicates that initially 10, 622 electors were expected to cast their votes but after updating of the list, 9,666 voters will effectively cast their votes.

The updating of the list which initially contained councilors who were voted during the 2013 municipal elections now shows additions and deletions resulting notably from deaths, loss of voting rights, various cases of ineligibility and disqualification for membership as provided by law.

Elections Cameroon has shared out the number of electors per polling station and has come up with 81 polling stations for the March 25, 2018 senatorial elections. Section 227 (1) of the Electoral Code provides that, “Voting shall be conducted in the headquarters of each division.”

The Centre Region has the highest number of effective electors 1,865 with 15 polling stations being equally the highest number. The Adamawa Region has the least number of electors totaling 573.

The CPDM Party has the highest number of councilors across the country even in the North West region which is the strong hold of the SDF party. It is worth noting that after the municipal elections in 2013, CPDM had 544 municipal councilors in the North West region while the SDF had 522, a difference of 22 in favour of the CPDM. The numbers do not stand the same today as a couple of them have died within the past five years.

This therefore implies that the SDF stands the chance to grab seats only in the North West region provided the 22 councilors from the CPDM councilors in the region cross the carpet to vote for SDF.

From the national statistics, except otherwise, the CPDM party stands the chance of grabbing all the seats in the senate this year. Except President Biya decides to appoint the 30 remaining senators from the opposition, the opposition may end up not having even a single seat in the upper house of parliament.

Meanwhile, in the West region, SDF Senator Paul Tchatchouang, has filed a petition to the constitutional council against a CPDM senatorial candidate for the West region Joseph Teingnidetio calling for the constitutional council to cancel the CPDM list in the region.

Paul Tchatchouang claimed that the CPDM candidate in the region’s application was fraudulent and did not respect article 164 of the electoral code that requires each candidate participating in the election to submit all detailed information regarding their identity. 

The outgoing SDF senator in the West region wants the constitutional council to cancel the CPDM list in the region for failing to respect the electoral code. If his wish is granted by the newly created constitutional council, then the SDF may for the second time, grab the 7 senatorial positions for the West region.

By FHM