Dr Erik Essousse replies Kamto!
Dr Erik Essousse, Director General of Elections, has reacted to fraud allegations made by MRC leader, Prof. Maurice Kamto, against ELECAM, concerning the publication of provisional electoral registers for 2024.
Speaking at a press briefing in Yaounde last Thursday, Essousse announced that provisional electoral registers corresponding to the council branches have been posted since 20th October 2024 so that any political party or elector can consult them and report any irregularities or omissions to the Revision Commission or the Divisional Supervisory Commission. They have up to 10th of November to do this so that by 30th December 2024 the national register of voters is published . the DGE boss noted that the revision of electoral registers is an operation carried out by a joint and inclusive commission that includes, not only ELECAM, but also other stakeholders like the administration, municipal councils and political parties; and is validated by a procedure report, signed by all the members.
Probably responding to an accusation by Kamto that the Director General of Elecam is concealing lists and excluding nearly 120,000 voters under the pretext of the absence of biometric fingerprints without legal justification, Essousse advised him to comply with the law and to petition revision commissions on irregularities that may involve biographic and biometric elements instead of stoking controversy in the media.
“Controversy professionals would do better to comply with the law and to petition revision commissions, instead of submerging the media with unfounded recriminations”, he replied.
In his statement, Kamto had accused the DGE boss of violating Article 78 paragraph (2) of the electoral code in bypassing the heads of divisional branches to transmit the provisional electoral lists to the Communal Branches for publication, “ without any actor in the electoral process knowing under which text he arrogated this prerogative.”
He suspected that these transmitted provisional electoral lists “ are different from those held by the divisional branches, which were finalized before September 5 in application of Article 78 paragraph 1 of the Electoral Code.”
