Forty five organisations have applied to observe the 2023 Senatorial Elections in Cameroon. Their application was deposited at the Department of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT).
The information was made known to the press on February 21st, by Mrs BEKILA Gisèle Valérie, General Inspector of Electoral Matters at the Department of Political Affairs, MINAT. She was speaking on the sidelines of Senatorial Elections programmed for March 12. She was also speaking with regards to the deadline for application for organisations willing to observe elections which was February 20.
The General Inspector of Electoral Matters said her office is currently working on the files received. Accreditation would be given to organisations who meet the requirements to observe elections.
“We have two types of accreditation, the national accreditation reserved for Cameroonians who wants to observe the elections, and accreditation for the international organizations, that is for foreigners, just like embassy’s who wish to observe elections. For these two types the conditions are not the same. Concerning the national observers they have to be involved already In the domain of human rights, produce a report of the latest election which they observed in Cameroon and they have to apply too. For international observers, added to the aforementioned criteria, we have to make sure that they have received their visas before entering Cameroon, the second thing is to make sure that they have their subsidies, because at times we face problems with observers to finance their stay here in cameroon, so these are the two types of accreditation we have here in our ministry” madame BEKILA Gisèle Valérie told pressmen concerning organisations who meet standards to observe the senatorial elections.
PHOTO: Mrs BEKILA Gisèle Valérie General Inspector of Electoral Matters MINAT
The General Inspector continued to elaborate that “If those who dropped their document did not respect all conditions, automatically their document will be rejected and in this case we have rejected files because some didn’t respect the rules given before. We have four cases but as I said earlier we still have some documents which were deposited on the 20th so the number might still increase” she said
It was said that organisations that would be accredited to observe elections shall be served with a booklet which would serve as an instrument to guide the observers. In the booklet is the rights and duties of election observers. They shall also be given an identification badge. The booklet to guide the observers include their rights and obligations; the right to move from one polling station to another, the obligation to carry a badge produced by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and to carry the badge along when observing elections, respect the sovereignty of the country, no meddling or influencing of politicians or political party.
The General Inspector said Minat as the government agent that ensures the effective presence of the state during elections does not only focus on accreditation of observers, but also assures their security before, during and after elections.
On the 18th of January 2023, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul, signed a communique, inviting partners who wish to observe elections to submit their files. There, it was stated that, files can be submitted at the Department of Political Affairs at the Ministry of Territorial Administration. The communique spelled out the file composition for organisations who wish to observe including; an application letter addressed to the minister of Territorial Administration, a copy of the instrument certifying the legal existence of the organization or association, the list of observers including full identities and specifying the areas where they will want to observe and a copy of an observation report of a previous election or any other document deemed appropriate.
Meanwhile in addition to the aforementioned requirements, international observers are expected to provide a copy of the passport, identification page and the page bearing the visa and the entry stamp, a mission order issued by the employing institution or organisation, a photocopy of the round-trip air ticket where applicable, medical and repatriation insurances, proof of sufficient resources to sustain the stay and activities of the observation mission.
By Mildred Ndum Wung Kum
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