|
PRESS RELEASE
The National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) meeting in Douala from the 30th to the 31st of December 1991, carried out a detailed and critical analysis of the new Electoral Law promulgated as Law No. 91/020 of 16 December 1991 by the single party (CPDM) Parliament, and came to the conclusion that this Law does not guarantee free and fair elections.
The National Executive Committee notes with regrets that the new Law:
- out rightly rejects the setting up of an Independent Electoral Commission in preference to an overbearing and burdensome administrative officers in the organisation, supervision and proclamation of election results, as in a monolithic system,
- Adopts the list system suitable for a monolithic system in place of a single member constituency;
- Adopts a mixed single-round ballot of election fraught with disastrous consequences;
- Provide for an arbitrary method of creating constituencies and the allocation of seats by decree which imposes discriminatory and undemocratic conditions of selecting candidates for elections;
- Rejects Cameroonians aged 18 from participating in the democratic process of shaping the future of their country whereas they undertake immense responsibilities in other areas of public life such as:
- The Payment of taxes,
- Military service,
- Liable to imprisonment, among others.
- Completely ignores the role of the judiciary by ousting the power of the Courts to hear and determine contentious matters relating to elections.
- Introduces a Ministerial visa in the choice of party colours and imposes censorship on campaign literature.
- Forbids commercial advertisement through Radio, Television and Newspapers and the placing of posters, whereas electoral campaign is intended to influence the electorate.
- Provide for arbitrary arrests and detention of persons participating in the electoral process.
The National Executive Committee bearing in mind all these obnoxious provisions of the said Law, strongly believes that the Law has set in place an organised racket for rigging any elections.
Considering that under the new Law, there is no possibility for any other party winning the elections, even if it has the total support of the voting population and further that the system entrenched by the law is nothing more than the embodiment of deceit and constitutes a recipe for civil strife in our dear country;
CALLS on all SDF supporters and sympathisers, all genuine opposition parties and associations and all progressive forces to reject participation in the forthcoming elections under this law, to continue the struggle for the convening of the Sovereign National Conference which is, and remains the only forum by which genuine democracy can be installed in Cameroon.
Done in Douala, this 31st December, 1991.
NI John FRU NDI
National Chairman
The end
More documents
|
