The voters’ registration campaign is gradually intensifying as presidential election approaches. Cameroon’s elections and referenda managing institution, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) has embarked on getting regular updates on the progress of the registration of voters on the electoral register as the 2011 presidential election approaches.

Statistics from ELECAM head office in Yaounde show that by January 21, 2011, over 858,516 new voters had already registered in all the ten regions of the country.  The number shows a gradual progress from the 700,000 new voters registered by December 25, 2010 as disclosed by the Director General of Elections, Mohaman Sani Tanimou while receiving New Year wishes last January 13. Following the new registration updates done per Division and Region: 76,738 new voters have registered in the Adamawa; 106,759 in the Centre; 65,652 in the East; 135,128 in the Far North; 75,492 in the Littoral; 102,334 in the North, 64,292 in the North West; 89,578 in the West; 84,579 in the South and 57,964 in the South West Regions.

ELECAM officials say the registration exercise targets mainly people who did not register for the 2007 twin legislative and council elections. As such, the new voters are people who have attained the voting age of 20 years, changed their places of residence and people living with disabilities who have very often been neglected. The Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation (MINATD) that hitherto organised elections in Cameroon, last April handed all electoral material to ELECAM, including the electoral register for the 2007 elections. Reliable sources at the institution disclosed that in the cleaning of the electoral register handed over by MINATD  will begin in April 2011. They say the electoral software the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) handed to the institution will enable all cases of double registration to be detected and deleted,  as well as voters who have died or are no longer in the country.

The voters’ registration process in gradually progressing on the field, partly owing to the campaign embarked on by President Paul Biya’s ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) and other political parties and civil society organisations. Voters Registration Joint Commission teams from the 360 ELECAM Council branches have also intensified the registration exercise as they now undertake proximity registration by moving to different parts of  council areas.