BY DOH JAMES SONKEY
Voters’ registration for the year 2022 has been launched with a call for youths aged 20 years and above to massively register and participate in the political life of the nation. The call was made last January 6, 2022 by the director general of elections at ELECAM, Dr Erik Essousse on the campuses of the Universities of Yaoundé II Soa and Yaoundé I at Ngoa Ekelle as he solemnly launched the exercise which will end on August 31,2022 as stipulated by the electoral code.
The DG of elections, Dr Erik Essousse, accompanied by the deputy director general of elections, Abdoul Karimou, the ELECAM Centre regional delegate and other close collaborators were received and encouraged by the technical adviser to the Rector of the University of Yaoundé II, Prof MoiseMopou, the Rector of the University of Yaoundé I, Prof Maurice Aurelien Sosso and administrative authorities of both towns.
As indicated by the theme, “The adhesion of youths to the electoral process”, voters’ registration this year intends to galvanize youths as leaders of tomorrow who constitute majority of the population of Cameroon, to actively participate in shaping their country’s leadership democratically.
Speaking on the two campuses, the DG of elections, while indicating that Cameroon now has more than 7 million registered voters, said the massive registration of youths this year will scale up the number significantly.
The exercise was witnessed by some representatives of two political parties; CPDM of President Paul Biya and PCRN of Hon. Cabral Libii.
In a chat with reporters, Dr Erik Essousse explained that “We decided to launch voters’ registration at the Universities of Yaoundé I and Yaoundé II because they host a good number of youths and we want through this to sensitize others out of universities to register and animate our democracy. We are satisfied with the youthful mobilisation observed on the two campuses and we use this opportunity to thank authorities of these two universities for welcoming us and the initiative. We encourage the other universities solicited to emulate the examples of Yaoundé I and II because we really want to work with youths.”