Cameroon: Scheming for Senatorial Posts Begins

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The Post (Buea)

28 August 2008
Posted to the web 28 August 2008

Kini Nsom

As speculations are rife that President Paul Biya could summon the electorate for Senatorial elections in the coming month, some CPDM big shots are scheming to have a place in the Upper House of Parliament.

A CPDM Central Committee member, who opted for anonymity, told The Post that they were under pressure from some former Ministers who are eyeing the Senate.The bigwigs revealed that the former Ministers spoiling to be recommend to President Biya for appointment into the Senate.

According to the law on the organisation of Senatorial polls, the President of the Republic has the prerogative to appoint 30 percent of the 100 Senators.It is highly speculated within the ruling party circles that the President could announce the date for Senatorial elections for sometime in December this year.

The organisation of Senatorial elections for the putting in place of the Upper House of Parliament is provided for in the 1996 Constitution.According to law No. 2006 of July 14, 2006, organising Senate elections, each region (Province) has 10 Senators. Seven of them are elected, while the President of the Republic appoints three.

Given that President Biya will use his discretion to appoint 30 percent of the Senators, many CPDM bigwigs are said to be fighting to be appointed.Political parties that did not win any Council will not participate in the elections.

Unlike it is provided in the Constitution, the National Assembly recently voted an amendment that provides that Senatorial elections can be organised before Regional Council elections. Consequently, the Electoral College for the Senatorial polls will be Municipal Councilors and no longer Regional Councilors as hitherto provided by the law.

Following the amendment of this law, the opposition now says they were right when they qualified the Head of State's decree creating new Councils as a gerrymandering ruse.

The Secretary General of the Social Democratic Front SDF, Dr. Elizabeth Tamanjong, holds that by rigging the Municipal elections of July 22, 2007, the CPDM government virtually rigged the Senatorial elections in advance.

According to the official results of the 2007 elections, the CPDM won over 90 percent of the 360 councils in the country.Thus, it has the overwhelming majority the 10.632 people that man the Councils. They are those who will move and shake the Senatorial elections when time comes.

Even before the National Assembly amended law No. 2006 of July 14, 2006, this year, its article 25 provides that in the absence of Regional Councilors, Municipal Councilors will be the ones to constitute the Electoral College for Senatorial elections.

As speculations for the Senatorial election continue to heighten, the Supreme Court will on Thursday, August 28, decide the fate of some 10 Councils in which election results are still being contested. They include the Douala V council in the Littoral, Bana and Bafoussam III Councils in the West Province; Mokolo and Mogobe in the Far North and Mesonde Council in the Nyong and Kelle Division of the Centre Province.

The Court will entertain some 45 petitions filed by various political parties to challenge the decision of the Administrative Bench of the Supreme Court that canceled elections in some ten Councils. Government sources say partial Municipal elections will be organised in September if the Supreme Court confirms the cancellation of the July 22, 2007 polls in some Councils.

Such elections will give a clear picture of what the Electoral College for the Senatorial election will look like when the time comes. The outcome of the partial elections, observers hold, will have little bearing on the fact that the CPDM will win over 90 percent of the Senate.

President Biya promised to put the Upper House of Parliament in place before the end of his current mandate. Meanwhile, speculations that there will be a major cabinet shake-up before such elections have remained persistent.

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