Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) publishes its report on the October 11 Elections

The Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) which was sent to monitor the October 11 presidential elections has made public its 50-page report. The group, which was led by former Canadian Prime Minister, Joe Clark concluded that:

In a number of key areas the electoral process lacked the necessary credibility. In particular we are concerned that many people who wished to vote were not on the Voters’ Register, so were denied the right to vote.

however, even given the serious deficiency in the management of the register, we believe that the intention of those who voted was reflected in the result.

The Observer Group, recommended among other things, that an Independent Election Management Body be established; that there should be a clear separation between the state and the ruling party; and that Election Management be done by "by people whose loyalty is to the integrity of the process rather than to a particular candidate or party".

Click here to print or download complete report in PDF format

Comments

[the sheikh]

Many Cameroonians are of the view that the much talked about observers have had their pams robbed with oil which is normal with the CPDM regime.it will really be a pity if foreign observers were really bribed to give false reports on what they saw. However i belief we should leave them to battle that out with their individual consciences.
If these foreign observers can also claim that what they observed in the field was what the government has been proclaiming upto this point, then they really need a doctor to examine them.
On a lesser note we can say it is because they are not familiar with the political terrain in Cameroon. what they needed to do before embarking on their job was to first of all study the different fraud methods that existed in cameroon and only go to the field to verify them.
The fraud mechinary in Cameroon has gone beyong what the normal eyes can see. the few observers i saw around were mostly checking the behaviour of the few Cameroonians who even cared to cast their vote. They were also interested in looking at how the process went on and not the final results that went to the divisional officers.
In Cameroon the people vote and the election officials give the result that they wish to give. Thus any body interested in the voting behaviour will never know what goes on in the offices of those official incharge of sending the results to higher authorities.
well the best they can do now is to learn their lesson and know that the results of elections in Cameroon are always prepared before hand. Only god can save us if we don't want a popular uprising as it has occured in other countries.

[JB]

All the so call international observers are just jokers who were on nothing but an undeserved holiday trip to our "blessed" Cameroon.
WHO of these so call observers saw what happened in the various inaccessible villages of Cameroon. They come, are lodged in Yaounde and some few cities (with good hotels) and next they give "a report (false) of what happened in Cameroon" as if cameroon were limited to Yaounde. Anyway, Biya made the world know that "when Yaounde breaths, cameroon lives" and these so call observer missions as stupid as they are took him by his words and are acting by it. It's really a big shame.

[Peter Mangan]

Just out of curiousity, I would like to know what was false in the Commonwealth report...

[the sheikh]

Please i will like Mr Mangan to tell me if there was anything right with the reports of foreign observers.
Was it what he will consider the real situation in Cameroon? Also to refresh your memory, you can read the comments made by the sheikh on this matter. it is the first on this page. Thank you.

[JB]

Mr Mangan, Can you tell us what was right about the electoral process? We have given our reasons for thinking that the reports don't reflect the situation on the ground.