By DOH JAMES SONKEY
The Constitutional Council has received 6 petitions after the publication of lists of candidates for the Senatorial election by ELECAM. The six petitions have been published at the lobby of the cabinet of the President of the Constitutional Council, Clement Atangana.
The first petition deposited last March 8, 2018 at the Secretariat of the Constitutional Council located at the Yaounde Conference Centre was that of a disgruntled CPDM militant in the Far North region who is complaining of not being invested by his party.
Two of the petitions filed in by SDF and NUDP candidates call for the rejection of CPDM lists in the Adamawa and West regions. One denounces the eligibility of a candidate in the East and another from an outgoing Senator in the Far North region.
Copies of the petitions and complains have been forwarded to the concerned political parties and to Elections Cameroon, ELECAM as required by the law. The Electoral Code stipulates that the concerned political parties upon notification of reception, have a 24-hours deadline to forward their defense to the Constitutional Council.
According to the Law, the Constitutional Council will look at the merits of those petitions within 10 days before passing its final verdict.
It is worth noting that Article 129 of Law No 2012/001 of 19 April 2012 on the Electoral Code, modified and completed by Law No 2012/017 of 21 December 2012 stipulates that the Constitutional Council has 3 days after the publication of lists of candidates by ELECAM to receive petitions.
The Constitutional Council received petitions barely two days after its members were sworn in last March 6, 2018 during the first ever Congress of Parliament chaired at the Yaounde Conference Centre by its President, Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril in the presence of Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji.
According to the Law, the Council is empowered to manage conflicts involving institutions of the State, internal regulations of the National Assembly and the Senate, rules on the constitutionality of laws, treaties and international agreements to protect the State against international interferences which can sometimes be in violation of State sovereignty.
With regards to elections in the country, the Council shall deliberate on disputes arising as well as proclaim the results of Presidential and Legislative elections.