By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The Director General of Elections at Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, Abdoulaye Babale has declared that they have received lists from 9 political parties warming up for the March 25, 2018 Senatorial election in Cameroon. He made the revelation at midnight last February 22, 2018 after the deadline for political parties to deposit their lists for the polls expired at 11:59pm on that day.
Abdoulaye Babale announced that the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM party led by its Deputy Secretary General, Gregoire Owona was the first to arrive ELECAM to deposit 10 lists; that is, one list for each of the regions.
The DG of Elections reiterated their readiness to handle the Senatorial polls on March 25, 2018 as well as other subsequent elections this year as announced by the President of the Republic in his end of year address to the nation last December 31, 2017.
Information from ELECAM indicates that the CPDM of Paul Biya will present candidates in all the 10 regions with at least 2 women in each of the lists, just like the National Union of Democracy and Progress, NUDP of Bello Bouba Maigari running in the ten regions with women heading lists in 4 regions; Centre, South, South West and West.
The opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF party of Ni John Fru Ndi will run the race in 9 regions (Adamawa, Centre, West, East, South West and North West), the Union of the Peoples of Cameroon, UPC party with its 40% of women in the lists will compete in 5 regions ; South West, North, Adamawa, Littoral and Centre, ANDP will run in 4 regions; Far North, Littoral, South and South West, the Cameroon Democratic Union, CDU of Adamou Ndam Njoya deposited 2 lists comprising 42% of women for the Littoral and West regions, while the National Salvation Front NSF of Issa Tchiroma Bakery will run in 1 region; North.
Other parties that will equally run the Senatorial race include the United Democratic Party (Udp) in the North West and l’Union des Mouvements Socialistes (Ums).