Cameroon adopts biometric voter registration

Cameroon’s elections governing body Elecam has accepted to adopt biometric registration.

The system will be used during the next round of registration, which was announced two weeks ago on the instructions of President Paul Biya.

Opposition parties and civil society organisations have been piling pressure on Elecam to adopt the biometric system.

The announcement, first made Monday evening as Elecam President Fonkam Azu’u received five political party leaders, was reiterated Tuesday when the poll agency chief received civil society leaders and the Chairman of the Front pour le Salut National du Cameroun (FSNC), who doubles as minister for Communication, Mr Issa Tchiroma Bakari.

Dr Azu’u Monday received the President of the Union des Forces Démocratiques du Cameroun (UFDC), Dr Victorin Hameni Bieleu, Ms Edith Kahbang Walla of the Cameroon Peoples’s Party (CPP), Dr Joachim Tabi Owono of Action pour la Meritocratie et Egalité des Chances (AMEC), Mr Isaac Feuzeu of Mouvement pour l’Emergence et le Reveil du Citoyen (MERCI) and Dr Olivier Bilé of Union pour la Franternité et la Prospérité (UFP).

Dr Azu’u explained that the opening of the new voter registers had been delayed by, among other things, the ongoing search for the right company to offer the biometric services.

He also attributed the delay to the acquisition of the materials and the training of the requisite personnel.

“Once these aspects of the operation have been taken care of, the registration exercise proper would not take long,” said Dr Azu’u.

The various political leaders and their colleagues from the civil society, during their discussions with the Elecam President, reiterated their determination to work with his agency to ensure credible elections in Cameroon.

Dr Bieleu called on Elecam to sponsor party representatives in the electoral commissions, since most of the latter were broke.

“There is a convergence of views between us and certain political parties. The essential thing in this exercise is for there to be dialogue between us and our partners who are the political parties,” said Dr Azu’u.