BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI
Candidates seeking to stand for election into the Senate on March 25 in the South West Region on the ticket of the CPDM party have been given until Tuesday, February 13, 2018 to submit their files.
According to a release, the Regional Commission of the South West Region for the nomination of candidates for the senatorial elections will not collect files after 6pm today.
An announcement from the Musonge-led commission read: “In keeping with the instructions of the national president of the CPDM in circular no. 001/CPDM/NP of February 8, 2018, the head of the permanent regional delegation of the South West Region cordially invites interested candidates for the senatorial elections of March 25, 2018 to submit their completed files to the regional commission situated at the Ministerial Rest House Buea latest Tuesday February 13 at 6pm.”
Another release adds that: “A brief concertation meeting of the regional commission of the South West Region for the nomination of candidates of the senatorial election for the March 25 shall take place at the Ministerial Rest House Buea on Tuesday February 13, 2018 at noon. Attendance of all concerned shall be highly appreciated.”
Qualification of Candidates
Age: Section 220 (1) states that, “Candidates for the office of Senator, as well as the personalities appointed to the said office must have reached the age of 40 (forty) by the date of election or appointment”
Nationality: Section 220 (2) says, “The candidate must be of Cameroonian nationality and must provide evidence of effective residence in the territory of the Region concerned.”
Incompatibilities: Section 162 (1) of the Electoral Code specified that, “ The office of Member of Parliament (Senator) shall be incompatible with the office of Member of Government or of persons ranking as such, member of the Constitutional Council and of member of the Economic and Social Council.
Paragraph 2 of the same section adds that, “The office of Senator shall further be incompatible with the office of Member of the National Assembly, mayor, government delegate to a city council, president of a regional council, with any other non-elective public office and with the duties of president of a consular chamber, board chairperson or with the status of wage earner in a public establishment or public and semi-public enterprise.”
Educational Level: Section 156 of the Electoral Code states that, “Any Cameroonian citizen, of either sex, who enjoys the right to vote and is entered on electoral registers, is aged 40 years at the date of the election and can read and write English or French can be nominated as a candidate for election to the Senate.”