The Supreme Court acting as the Constitutional Council, will in the days ahead, rule on 18 petitions submitted by some candidates whose files were rejected by the Electoral Board of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM). Out of the 52 nomination papers of candidates intending to run for the October 9, 2011 presidential election, the ELECAM Electoral Board, retained 21 candidates and rejected 30. Hence, 18 out of the 30 candidates whose nominations papers were rejected, in compliance with the law, submitted petitions at the Supreme Council by mid night of Sunday, September 12, 2011.
The Registrar in Chief of the Supreme Court, Appolinaire Koé Amougou with the responsibility to receive the petitions, disclosed in his office yesterday, September 12 by 1:00 pm that they received a total of 18 petitions. He said, in conformity with the law, the Constitutional Council has a maximum of 10 days from the day of the lodge of the petitions to rule on them. This means that the Constitutional Council has to rule on the petitions latest September 21, 2011. While waiting for the publication of the list of petitions and reasons for the rejection of candidacy files, sources at the Supreme Court cited prominent candidates who had submitted the petitions to include, Augustin Fréderic Kodock of the Union des populations du Cameroon (UPC), Anicet Ekane of the MANIDEM, Soh Fone Daniel of United Socialist Party (USP), Egono Valentin, President of the Cameroon Union for Democracy and Innovation and Vincent Sosthene Fouda, candidate of the Cameroon Movement for Social Democracy.
Contrary to Sunday, September 11, in which 17 of the 18 candidates streamed into the Registry of the Supreme Court to submit their petitions, there was a normal working atmosphere yesterday. Only a few journalists could be seen in quest of information on the number of petitions received, the candidates concerned and the reasons why the Electoral Board rejected the nomination papers.
The ruling of the Constitutional Council on the petitions will further enhance the electoral process and enable ELECAM to meticulously implement the law. Section 58 of the law of May 6, 2011 on the conditions governing the vacancy of and election to the Presidency of the Republic states that, “Not less than 20 days to the opening of the poll, the Electoral Board shall draw up and publish the list of candidates”.
