Elections Progressively Getting Better

Like it or not, one issue that has marked the advent of the New Deal regime of President Paul Biya has been the evolution in electoral processes in Cameroon.

Acceding to the helm of power in Cameroon during a monolithic period, President Paul Biya has taken the country through the Cameroon National Union (CNU) party that he met, to the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) party before today’s multiparty Cameroon. The over 200 political parties in the country have since the rebirth of multiparty politics in the 1990s had the possibility to vie for elective positions at various levels.

As if to test the strength and viability of his party followers, Mr Biya gave the first signal in 1988 when access to position within the basic organs was done through elections and not by designation as was the case before. The departure from a list system of elections to posts of responsibility into basic organs, sub-sections, and sections of the party came as forewarning to changes that were to engulf the entire country with the creation of other political parties.

Of course, the ride has been quite smooth. The dawn of multiparty elections under the New Deal has not been characterised by accusations and counter-accusations, complaints of lack of transparency, all translated in the inability of political actors to accept election results. Yet, President Biya has in each of the scuffles steered the ship of State to safe shores.
Openness to new and innovative ideas has accounted for the successes recorded in efforts to overcome electoral differences over the last 34 years of the New Deal.

Initially organised by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, election management in the country moved to a quasi independent body, National Elections Observations (NEO) one and two, before the creation of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM. The body has in the last few years managed elections into local councils, the National Assembly, the Senate and presiden...