Supreme Court Cancels Elections in Five Constituencies

Culled from The Sun
 
The Supreme Court of Cameroon sitting for the Constitutional Council has cancelled the legislative elections in five constituencies. In effect voters in Wouri East cmprising Douala III and V, and Moungo South in the Littoral Province, Nyong and Kelle of the Centre, Upper Nkam in the West Province and Mayo Tsanaga in the Far North will go back to the polls not later than 60 days from August 8 when the cancellations were announced.The five constituencies put together carry 17 parliamentary seats.

The court's decision followed two days of deliberations on some 103 petitions filed in by mainlly opposition political parties. in their suits the parties filed for the cancellation of the results of the Jully 22 elections in most of the 85 parliamentary contituencies.The court began meeting on Tuesday August 7  and examined only 28 cases on that first day.

The Wouri East constituency of the popular and notorious Francoise Foning was the first to receive the sledge-hammer of the court as opposition lawyers succeeded in convincing the court that massive rigging, falsifacation of return sheets, multiple voting, stuffing of ballot boxes, absence of SDF ballot papers and use of unauthorised polling stations characterised elections there . More that 250, 000 people registered to vote but only 66000 succeeded in casting their votes.

The Wouri East case was prevailed in the other areas even those where cancellations were not pronounced. most of the petitiuonns were rejected either because of non-respect of proceurial norms or lack of substantiating evidence.

The Nyong and Kelle Division is the constituency of Minister of Plan and Regional Development. Augustin Frederick Kodock , Secreatry General of the UPC party and ally of the CPDM. Kodock's list for the first time since 1992 was beaten by the CPDM. The Court's decision is viewed by many as political intended to bail out the UPC SG who at over 80 is likely to be removed from govt.

The Court will declare the official results on Friday. The CPDM is expected to go away with 140 seats, the SDF 14, NUDP 4, UDC 4 and MP of Jean- Jacque Ekindi pending the re-runs. Meanwhile petitions as concers the munipal elections are to be examined by the administrative bench of the Supreme Court later.

By Norbert Wasso Binde

Comments

[Avernia Waddle]

I am trying to find someone name Jean- Jacques Ekindi that I meet 20 years ago in Paris and we tried to start a magazine called "Black Magazine".

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