ELECAM Promises Severe Sanctions To Unscrupulous Voters

Cameroonians Assured of Transparent Voter Registration Through Biometric System

The authorities of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) have promised hell to unscrupulous voters who would attempt to register more than once.

The President of ELECAM, Dr. Fonkam Azu’u, in a press briefing in Bamenda on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, told the journalists that unlike what obtained in the previous voter registrations in Cameroon , the ongoing biometric voter registration will be very transparent. He ipso facto warned any voter who shall attempt to register more than once for according to him, such a trickster will be sanctioned severely through Section 122 of the Cameroon Penal Code. He however, said that it will be difficult to register more than once through biometric system of registration and enjoined the voters to be careful in preserving their receipts after registration.

Answering questions from journalists, Fonkam Azu’u assured Cameroonians that voters without fingers will still be registered without any thumb printing because those people have some special features on their bodies which could be used to identify them.

On areas without electricity, Fonkam Azu’u said they would be provided with special generators that could use only 1 litre of petrol but the generators will run for over 7 hours. He added that to ensure accountability, CONAC is already visiting ELECAM structures to see how finances are managed and culprits, including ELECAM officials who shall attempt to fraud elections in favour of any political party shall be sanctioned.

Showing the seriousness of the exercise, Fonkam said after the official launching of biometric system of registration in Yaounde two weeks ago, his team of 7 is visiting the Regions, Divisions and council areas, sensitizing the election stakeholders like leaders of political parties, the judiciary, religious and traditional leaders. He said the voters are sensitized that their ID cards must be present before their thumb prints and photos are taken for them to be registered. He called on the press to help sensitize voters where to go for registration and the process taken for them to register.

Although observing that voter registration has already kick-started across the country, the ELECAM President regretted that the kits were yet to be enough for all areas. According to him, there are a total of 24000 polling stations in the country and all will be fully satisfied immediately the kits are available to cover the nooks and crannies of the country. He opined that voter registration could not have started by January 2012 because of the lacuna in means, reason why ELECAM could not respect the law stipulating that voter registration should start every January.

Meeting with the stakeholders of Mezam division on October 9, 2012 to kick off his Region wide sensitization tour, Fonkam Azu’u reminded political leaders, members of the judiciary, religious and traditional leaders that ELECAM officials are not made up of angels or God nor do they intend to play God. Above all, he stressed that ELECAM is not working for a political party. He enjoined the stakeholders to discourage voter apathy.

Fonkam Azu’u called on men of God to pray for ELECAM and use the pulpit to educate and sensitize the public on voter registration.