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Thursday, October 10, 2013

How Paul Biya Rigs Elections in Cameroon

CameroonPostline.com -- On September 30, 2013, voters at the legislative and municipal elections were struck by a very unfortunate convergence of rigging elements which caused all kinds of horrible devastation to an otherwise splendidly organised polls.

While the opposition parties participating in the twin elections were hoping to be glad when it was all said and done, their “opponents” on the other side seemed unhappy with the ensuing results. But before that, the campaigns had been typified by haggling, mud-throwing, hateful comments and worse still, bloodshed.
Potential voters, especially those from the leading opposition party, the SDF, faced several perplexities, ranging from sweeteners that included cash, salt, toilet tissue, beer, rice and meat, cooking oil, maggi cubes and all the like; on-the-spot disenfranchisement, threats to life from gun-toting fanatics and traditional leaders brandishing bizarre totems.

This year, the CPDM party took the top spot in tarnishing Cameroon’s eighth election since 1992. And it wasn’t the first time. Roughly speaking, the CPDM, in its attempts to attract votes in its favour, resorted to its gutter techniques to filch opposition votes at the legislative and municipal elections.
Its agents, conveniently infiltrated into the ELECAM camp, tried to hide voters’ lists; others were caught buying opposition ballot papers, if they were not stealing them out-and-out. Some of the CPDM militants even tried to vote twice or use other people’s voters’ cards despite their “unriggable” biometric character. Thus, many voters have let out a monumental cry and vote watchers have been left with little else to believe than that the CPDM was out to obscure the true outcome of the recent twin elections.

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