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2007 Assessment

Cameroon: Integrity Indicators Scorecard

Cameroon: Integrity Scorecard Report > Sub-Category: Election Integrity
Indicators		Score
17	In law, is there an election monitoring agency or set of election monitoring agencies/entities?	100
18	Is the election monitoring agency effective?	40
19	Are elections systems transparent and effective?	63

Indicator and sub-Indicator Details

In law, is there an election monitoring agency or set of election monitoring agencies/entities?

17: In law, is there an election monitoring agency or set of election monitoring agencies/entities?

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: - The National Elections Observatory (NEO), created by the Law N° 2000/016 of December 19, 2000, modified and supplemented by the Law n°2003/015 of December 22, 2003

Peer Review Comments: The agency is created for window-dressing.

Is the election monitoring agency effective?

18a: In law, the agency or set of agencies/entities is protected from political interference.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: In accordance with Article 3, subparagraph 3 of the law N° 2000/016 of December 19, 2000, the members of the NEO are selected from among the independent personalities of Cameronian nationality, known for their moral integrity, their intellectual honesty, their neutrality and their impartiality.

Peer Review Comments: It is not as independent as people would want it to be.

18b: In practice, agency (or set of agencies/entities) appointments are made that support the independence of the agency.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: - Dr Manasse Aboya Endong, "De l'ONEL à ELECAM: le cahe-sexe d'une gestion partisane," in Cahiers de Mutations, July 2007. - Christopher Fomunyoh, Regional Director for Africa, NDI (National Democratic Institute), LONEL ne peut organiser des élections crédibles, interview in Le Messager, A Weekly Electronic Publication of the GMM Group, 17 July, 2001 (www.lemessager.net).

18c: In practice, the agency or set of agencies/entities has a professional, full-time staff.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: - Interview with Diana Acha Morfaw, Vice-President of the National Elections Observatory (NEO) in [ LINK ]. - Interview with Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, Regional Director for Africa, NDI (National Democratic Institute), LONEL ne peut organiser des élections crédibles, interview in Le Messager, A Weekly Electronic Publication of the GMM Group, 17 July 2001 (www.lemessager.net).

Peer Review Comments: L'ONEL est composé de onze membres nommés par décret présidentiel. Cette institution a le pouvoir de nommer un personnel qualifié pour assurer le bon déroulement du processus électoral. Il dispose d'un secrétaire général chargé de la gestion administrative et de la conservation des archives. Mais selon plusieurs observateurs, non seulement les personnalités concernées ne sont pas impartiales, mais aussi le dispositif est jugé insuffisant pour satisfaire les besoins.

18d: In practice, the agency or set of agencies/entities makes timely, publicly available reports following an election cycle.

Score:

100

Comments: The report of the last elections was published only two years later. That could worry the Cameroon Tribune, the governmental daily newspaper.

References: - Aimé Francis Amougou, "Présidentielle 2004: enfin le rapport de lONEL," in Cameroon Tribune, 12 May 2004 (www.cameroon-tribune.net). - Aimé Francis Amougou, "Présidentielle 2004: lONEL finalise son rapport," in Cameroon Tribune, 14 April 2005 (www.cameroon-tribune.net).

Peer Review Comments: Il faut préciser que le rapport des élections municipales et législatives de juin 2007 n'est pas encore disponible sur le site internet de l'ONEL (www.onelcam.org). Seul le rapport de la présidentielle d'octobre 2004 y est logé dans la rubrique "Dernières infos". Le site, mal construit, n'est pas mis à jour.

Peer Review Comments: Reports are not timely.

18e: In practice, when necessary, the agency or set of agencies/entities imposes penalties on offenders.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: - Alain Didier Olinga, "L'ONEL: réflexions sur la loi camerounaise du 19 décembre 2000 portant création d'un Observatoire national des élections", Yaoundé, Presses de lUCAC, 2001. - Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, Regional Director for Africa, NDI (National Democratic Institute), LONEL ne peut organiser des élections crédibles , interview in Le Messager, A Weekly Electronic Publication of the GMM Group, 17 July 2001 (www.lemessager.net). - Alexandre T. Djimeli, "Processus électoral: Les pouvoirs que lOnel refuse", in Le Messager, 16/07/2004 (www.lemessager.net).

Peer Review Comments: Penalties are almost inexistent.

Peer Review Comments: The NEO is just an observatory entity.

Are elections systems transparent and effective?

19a: In practice, there is a clear and transparent system of voter registration.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: - Christian Lang, "Législatives et municipales: Niels Marquartd dénonce les conditions dinscription dans les listes électorales" in Le Messager, 23 February 2007 (www.lemessager.net). - Jean-Bruno Tagne, "Elections : Les jeunes boudent les listes électorales", in Mutations, 16 July 2007 (www.lequotidienmutations.net).

Peer Review Comments: Lors des dernières élections municipales et législatives, le gouvernement na pas pu fournir de lencre indélébile, ce qui a favorisé les votes multiples dans plusieurs bureaux de vote (Voir le Communiqué conjoint des ambassades des Pays Bas et des Etats-Unis ainsi que du Haut commissariat du Royaume Uni sur les élections municipales et législatives au Cameroun, Yaoundé, 22 juillet 2007) .

Peer Review Comments: Voter-registration is biased and handled by the government.

Peer Review Comments: The system of voter registration is not reliable. Double voting and "ghost" voting by non-existent voters is common. Last July I personally witnessed youngsters who were not allowed to vote receive several voting cards.

19b: In law, election results can be contested through the judicial system.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: - In accordance with Article 47 (2) of law n°91/20 of 16 December 1991, fixing the conditions for election of the deputies at the national assembly. - In accordance with Article 12 subparagraph 3 of the ONEL, the failures made by the political parties, the candidates or the voters can also be carried by the ONEL in front of legal authorities.

19c: In practice, election results can be effectively appealed through the judicial system.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: - Jean-Francis Belibi, "Contentieux électoral : annulation en cascade à la Cour Suprême", in Mutations, 9/08/2007 (www.lequotidienmutations.net) - Augustin Fongang, "Cameroun: Contentieux électoral - Le Conseil constitutionnel rassure", in Cameroon Tribune, 13/07/2007 (www.cameroon-tribune.net)

19d: In practice, the military and security forces remain neutral during elections.

Score:

100

Comments:

References: - Ambroise Ebonda, Yves Djambong, Honoré Foimoukom, "Municipales Législatives : vers le parti unique: Le cameroun en Flammes," in Le Messager, 24 July /2007 (www.lemessager.net). - François Bimogo, "Douala: émeutes au quartier Bonamoussadi au lendemain des élections du 22 juillet", in Cameroun-online actualités, mercredi, 25 July 2007 ([ LINK ]).

Peer Review Comments: Dans la plupart de cas, ils "roulent" pour le parti au pouvoir. Les mainifestations des militants de l'opposition sont souvent réprimées. Le 23 juillet 2007, Roland Tsapi, journaliste au Messager a été agressé à Douala par les forces de l'ordre alors qu'il couvrait une manifestation pacifique dénonçant les fraudes électorales.

Peer Review Comments: A police officer reported to me last July that those youngsters below the voting age who voted did so with some of his colleagues' ID cards. They wanted to increase participation. Those votes were in favor of the ruling party.

He was very disappointed (as were the officers in the polling station), and told me he could not do anything, because policemen were only there for security purposes.

19e: In law, domestic and international election observers are allowed to monitor elections.

Score:

YES

Comments:

References: In accordance with Article 18 of the Law N° 2000/016 December 19, 2000 creating a national elections observatory (NEO), modified by the Law n°2003/015 of December 22, 2003, in the supervision and control of the elections, the NEO can collaborate with the international observers invited by the Government. ([ LINK ]).

19f: In practice, election observers are able to effectively monitor elections.

Score:

100

$Scoring Criteria :: 100 Score Criteria: Election observers have unfettered access to polling sites, counting stations, and voters themselves. The government does not interfere with the observers\' activities. <p>50 Score Criteria: Election observers generally have access to polling sites, counting stations, and voters but encounter restrictions in certain areas. The government may impose burdensome regulatory or bureaucratic requirements on observers to discourage their involvement. <p>0 Score Criteria: Election observers\' movements are significantly limited by the government and many polling and counting sites are restricted or barred from observers. The government imposes so many bureaucratic or regulatory burdens on the observers that their mission is rendered ineffective.$

Comments: Actually the international observers have evil to do their work because of the problems of their security. They prefer to remain in the Cameroonian large cities like Douala or Yaounde, where the importance of the frauds is less perceptible. In all the cases, their declarations are very diplomatic. They do not want to have problems with the government.

References: - Zaïre Djaouane, "Cameroun : le Président Biya réélu sans surprise. Les observateurs internationaux acquiescent, pas les nationaux," in Afrik.com, 15 October 2004 ([ LINK ]). - Armand Essogo, "Des observateurs africains globalement satisfaits," in Cameroon Tribune, 25 July (www.cameroon-tribune.net).

Peer Review Comments: Ces observateurs n'ont pas toujours la possibilité de couvrir tout le pays. D'après les médias, en 1997, le Fon (chef traditionnel) de Balikumbat, candidat du RDPC au pouvoir et connu pour ses méthodes répressives, avait interdit l'accès dans son "territoire" à plusieurs observateurs indépendants.