NEO Blames Election Flaws On Administrative Incompetence

By Nformi Sonde Kinsai

Members of the National Elections Observatory, NEO, have observed that some of the irregularities noted at the October 11 Presidential election were as a result of deficiency of some administrative authorities.
This observation was made at the end of NEO’s Extra-ordinary General Assembly that held at the institution’s headquarters in Yaounde, Friday, October 15.
The meeting was aimed at making a preliminary assessment of the conduct of the election.

In a declaration issued at the end of their working session, signed by the Chairman of NEO, François-Xavier Mbouyom, and read by its Permanent Secretary, Pierre Eloundou Mani, members held that in the course of monitoring the election, they “noted some irregularities resulting from lapses of the joint commissions responsible for voter registration; the establishment, control and distribution of voters’ cards and deficiency of some administrative authorities.

"Thus, members deplored various problems relating to the registration on electoral rolls,” they stated.
Maintaining that the evaluation follows NEO’s partial accomplishment of its mission in keeping with law No. 2000/016 of December 19, 2000, modified and supplemented by law No. 2003/015 of December 22, 2003, members observed “that for the most part, the various electoral operations were conducted in a peaceful, orderly, serene and transparent manner and that those Cameroonians who went to the polls to exercise their franchise freely made their choice.”

The declaration further notes that either on its initiative or on the petitions of stakeholders, NEO corrected some of the lapses by expunging names in case of irregular registration as well as breaking up polling stations with more than 600 registered voters.
“Moreover, polling stations that were initially located in the homes of traditional rulers, private homes, and inaccessible places were relocated in order to ensure equality and fairness,” the NEO members declared.

The election observers also said in their media monitoring, they noted some efforts in the equitable distribution of airtime allotted to political parties during election campaigns, in spite of some misbehaviour noted in the campaign news on CRTV.

In their assessment, the “campaign went on in a peaceful atmosphere despite calls for violence by some political parties that were promptly called to order by NEO.”
T
hey appealed to all Cameroonians and all the stakeholders in the electoral process to patiently wait for the authentic results to be proclaimed by the Constitutional Council, which is the only statutory organ empowered to declare presidential election results within 15 days, with effect from the close of polling.
The declaration also notes that in case of dispute, only the report of the NEO shall be authentic.

Reacting to questions from the press, especially in connection to results proclaimed by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, MINATD, which conflicts with that published by the major opposition party, the SDF, one of the members, Barrister Ntumfor Nico Halle, said what MINATD has published are simply trends, which cannot be considered as official results. He reiterated that it is the Constitutional Council alone that has the competence to proclaim the official results.

On the magnitude of the differences in figures between the two camps, Nico Halle said NEO couldn’t immediately react as the information sheets (procés verbal) from the fields are still being assembled.

He said NEO would be better placed to comment when field information must have been analysed.
On the exact lapses as a result of some administrative deficiencies, Mbouyom said many Cameroonians who registered, but could not get their voters' cards, either by error or deliberate exclusion of some persons from electoral registers by administrative authorities, insufficient ballot papers of some candidates in some polling stations on election day, etc, were some of the lapses observed.

With the support of NEO’s Permanent Secretariat, 2.017 Provincial, Divisional and Council representatives, as well as the effective presence of 20.560 monitors in polling stations across the country, actively participated in the supervision of the election.

Comments

[THE SHEIKH]

Since after the 11th of october 1992, it became clear to every reasoning cameroonian that there can never be a free elections in Cameroon without the presence of an independent electoral commission.
As it is now, it will be a fallacy if the results compile by NEO, tally with that of the government, because from every indication, it is clear that the results were ready-made as many Cameroonians who never even bothered to register had predicted.
If we take Buea for instance, by the end of pooling it was quite clear that the SDF had won in over 90% of the pooling stations. But as usual what yaounde told the people was what every one had predicted.
In every political dispensation, there are alway two major ways of getting power; if power can not be taken through the ballot, then it is through the barrel. And sincerely if you ask my opinion i will gladly say that Cameroon has long passed the point of hoping to change power through the ballot.
Thus i think any right thinking Cameroonian who sincerely wants a change in this country should be ready to pick up his gun if THE RESULT IS AGAINST THE POPULAR ASPIRATION of the Cameroonain people this time around. And NEO should not be the one to spark off this.......

[Oswald Ngwang]

How can l get in touch with reporter Nformi Sunde Konsai please?

[nformi sonde kinsai]

I got your reaction and my mind went memory lane when you were still in Cameroon. We are still suffering this way and smiling.I hope with my address, we shall be communicating more frequently. Accept my warm greetings once more. Keep on with the WICUDA activities that way for we have been getting the echoes.