Kini Nsom & Victorine Biy Yongka
The Supreme Court, sitting in for the Constitutional Council, has ordered for the re-run of elections in the Douala V municipality thereby rendering the election of the mayor, Francoise Foning, null and void.
This was one of the judgements the court delivered on August 28, after entertaining 45 petitions that bordered on the July 22, 2007 polls.The petitions constituted an appeal by the various political parties against the ruling of the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court last year that cancelled elections in 10 councils.
Following the proclamation of the ruling CPDM party as the winner of the municipal elections in the Douala V, the SDF and other opposition parties filed petitions at the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court, stating that the polls were characterised by widespread electoral fraud perpetrated by the CPDM.
After examining the facts of the case, the Administrative Bench, chaired by Chief Justice Clement Atangana, ruled that elections be cancelled in that constituency.The CPDM appealed the verdict and went ahead and installed Francoise Foning as mayor.
Foning, who had also been elected as the MP for that constituency, was compelled by the law to choose between the parliamentary or mayoral seat. She dropped the former.The Supreme Court ruling keeps Foning in limbo, especially as it is not clear whether she will win the re-run that is expected to take place in the coming days.
Other municipalities in which elections were also cancelled are; Bana and Bafang in the West Province, Matomb in the Centre Province, Mogobe and Pette in the North Province.It should be noted that the Douala V municipality, under Foning's rule, was reported to be the nerve centre of the fraud that rocked the July 22 twin elections.
It is alleged that the opposition won in the municipality and the ruling party lobbied with the administration and was finally declared winner. Thus, Foning was installed mayor amidst tight security.
Against this backdrop, opposition candidates, A.J Doumbe for the UPC and Boniface Douo for the SDF, filed a court case against the CPDM. The Supreme Court ordered for a re-run in the municipality. According to the country's electoral law, the election will be carried out within 30 days from the date of the Supreme Court verdict.
Another case that took observers aback was that of the Messondo municipality in the Centre Province.The complainants came withdrawing their appeal for the re-run of elections in their municipality.
The UNDP candidate, Madame Ndongo, who had appealed against the ruling of the Audit Bench on electoral fraud in her municipality, withdrew the appeal.She expressed pessimism to journalists, saying that the re-run will never favour her. She said the exercise will still be conducted by the same people who drowned the 2007, July twin elections in fraud.
She also argued that mayors had already been installed, creating a gloomy atmosphere around the election re-run.Madame Ndongo, however, said her cancellation of the complaint is for personal reasons.
The ability to call anywhere in the world at cheap discounted prices -
unless fraud is kept out of question so shall we succeed in making our country a good one.why do people not have consciences of feeling for others?no one shall take along him any vanity on the day of death.
Posted by: mofor | Friday, 17 July 2009 at 04:04 AM