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All is now set for the 2018 senatorial elections to take place across the country on Sunday March, 25, 2018.
Campaigns are expected to end on Saturday at midnight. Across the NW/SW regions, little has been heard about campaigns ahead of these elections.
Councilors from these regions have been receiving threats from secessionists who warn that should they dare to participate in the elections, they shall hear from them.
There are claims that these threats have even created untold panic in some of the councilors but that government is doing everything within its reach to see that the elections take place in the troubled regions hitch free.
TCR gathered that some councilors are reported to be demanding the sum of FCFA 1 million before taking part in the election.
However, the CPDM may emerge victorious and grab all 70 elected seats in the senate. This is so because the CPDM party is running in all the 10 regions of Cameroon contrary to 8 regions in the 2013 senatorial elections that gave SDF the opportunity to win in 2 regions. This time, even the prime opposition party SDF, may not be lucky this time around.
Efforts by SDF’s Senator Paul Tchatchouang, to cause the constitutional council to disqualify the list of CPDM in the West region for filing an anonymous candidate have failed.
The SDF party had filed a petition to the constitutional council against CPDM aspirant, Joseph Teingnidetio, claiming that he submitted fake documents that do not have the same names. The matter was heard in the constitutional council and adjourned for further hearing but after a cross examination, the constitutional council found out that the candidate was legitimate and thus, ruled in favor of CPDM.
It is therefore clear that CPDM will run in all the 10 regions.
There were hopes that the CPDM list in the West region could be rejected and that this was going to give another opportunity for the SDF to take control of the West region. However, those hopes have been shattered beyond repair.
SDF though 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 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 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 stronghold 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.
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