YAOUNDE—Cameroon’s leading opposition party, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), is asking the Supreme Court to halt voter registration ahead of the 2011 presidential election, say party officials.
Ni John Fru Ndi, the party chairman, says has called back its representatives from registration commissions and says he would not encourage Cameroonians to register.
The party says there is no chance that the poll would be credible, citing the “lack of neutrality” of members of the electoral commission, Election Cameroon.
SDF is also demanding wide ranging reforms, including the delivery of voter cards at registration and the use of biometric technology to fight multiple voting that has marred past elections.
In it suit, the SDF says Elections Cameroon violated the law by launching registration before its official commissioning by decree as stipulates the law creating the organ.
“All that ELECAM is doing is illegal,” said Joshua Osih, the vice president of SDF in an interview with AFP.
Meantime registration is on going and appears to be picking steam after a very timid take off in August. At least 60,000 people have already registered in the North West, the SDF stronghold, according to local election officials.
SDF’s position on registration is however expected to further deepen the problem of voter apathy in Cameroon. Election participation has dropped from over four million to about two million in 2007, in a country of 19 million people.
Other political parties have called for massive registration, hoping to reach a mark of at least nine million voters for the poll to be considered credible.
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