CI-NEWS

Legislative Elections: SDF ‘chases’ parliamentary group after Constitutional Council orders rerun i

2020-02-28

No: 474

Legislative Elections: SDF ‘chases’ parliamentary group after Constitutional Council orders rerun in Lebialem, Bui, Menchum, Mezam, Momo.

The SDF has a fresh chance to get a parliamentary group at the National Assembly after the Constitutional Council ordered a rerun of the Legislative Elections in 11 constituencies – ten in the North West Region and one in the South West Region, in a ‘landmark’ ruling on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.

The partial annulment of the outcome of the February 9, 2020 legislative elections came after the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, seized the Constitutional Council citing irregularities that breached the electoral laws.

The ruling is seen as a disavowal of ELECAM and territorial administration minister, Paul Atanga Nji, who had declared hitch-free and credible elections immediately after polls closed on 9 February 2020.

Going by the Constitutional Council, the legislative elections will be rerun in Lebialem Division in the South West Region which has one seat, as well as in Bui, Menchum, Mezam and Momo divisions in the North West Region.

SDF lawyers and candidates had prayed the Constitutional Council to partially annul the elections on grounds of insecurity, and the creation of polling centres which disenfranchised their voters.

“From the foregoing, we find merit in the petitions and hold that there were irregularities in the electoral operations of February 9, 2020 to elect members of parliament which influenced the outcome of the elections and entirely grant the prayers of the petitioners that the said election in Menchum North, Bui West, Mezam South, Bui Centre, Bui South, Mezam Centre, Lebialem, Momo East, Menchum South, Momo West and Mezam North constituencies be cancelled and a rerun ordered in compliance with Section 135 of the electoral code,” reporting judge Prof. Paul Nkwi said in his preliminary report which was later upheld by the presiding judge, Clement Atangana.

Going by Section 136 of the Electoral Code, “the decisions of the Constitutional Council relating to elections, election results and candidatures shall be final”.

As such, a rerun is expected within no less than 20 days and no more than 40 days after Tuesday’s cancellation in keeping with Section 135(2) of the Electoral Code.

“In the event of cancellation of the elections, notification thereof shall forthwith be made to the Minister of Territorial Administration and Elections Cameroon,” the electoral code states in its section 135(1).

Political pundits posit that this rerun may help improve the fortunes of the opposition SDF which emerged from the February 9 twin municipal and legislative elections with its worst performance ever.

The SDF petition for a rerun in the Fako East (Limbe, Tiko and Muyuka) constituency was rejected to the dismay of candidate Fritz Ngeka Etoke.

Accepting the ruling, CPDM representatives at the Constitutional Council said they were ready to do battle and prove that they were real winners of those constituencies.

For hos part, Joseph Mbah Ndam, SDF representative and lead counsel, expressed satisfaction that the Constitutional Council found their arguments acceptable and proceeded to order a rerun. If the SDF wins all the 11 seats in dispute, this will take their count to 16 seats, enough to form a parliamentary group. But it remains open to dispute if they will be able to convince their militants to go out and vote in these constituencies most of which have been deserted. ELECAM has a herculean task to relocate all the polling stations it was forced to create in city centres for security reasons.

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Legislative Elections: SDF ‘chases’ parliamentary group after Constitutional Council orders rerun i