Senatorial Elections Billed for 25 March

The second senatorial elections in Cameroon will take place on 25 March, 2018, according to a Presidential decree signed on 7 February, The decree came to confirm the statutory calendar for Senatorial elections in the country.

                Cameroon organized the first ever Senate elections on 14 April, 2013. Of the 100 members in the Senate (Upper House of Parliament) who have a five-year tenure, 70 per cent are voted by an electoral college comprising local councillors and 30 per cent nominated by the President of the Republic. Each region is thus supposed to have seven senators whom are indirectly elected and three appointed by the Head of State, by virtue of the 18 January 1996 constitution.

                The announcement of senate elections came barely days before the president signed decrees creating the constitutional council and appointing its members and president. 

                Campaigns for senatorial elections may not demand the same energy and massive mobilisation like is the case with the election members of the National Assembly. But the fact remains that the local councillors on whom the responsibility to elect Senators fall will now need to start getting set to cast their votes and either bring in fresh names or re-elect those who have performed well during the last mandate by delivering much-needed development to their people and communities.

                Now that the ball has been set rolling,  many more things are expected to happen in the near future.

                President Paul Biya gave the indication of an electoral year in his state of the Nation’s address to Cameroonians on 31 December 2017 when he said; “The year 2018 will be an important election year. All necessary measures will be taken to ensure that elections are held in peace and security.”

                The statement by the Head of State appeared laconic but it carried all the trappings of a Presidential promise. That is why other elections may certainly have to take place in the course of the year.

                Tapping from the last experience in 2013 the ruling CPDM party and the opposition SDF got elected seats in the Senate and as part of his desire to ensure a large representation in Parliament, the Head of State did not limit the appointment of Senators to the CPDM alone.                                                    Consequently, political parties like the Dakolle Daissala’s Republican Democratic Movement, MDR  and the National Union for Democratic Party, NUDP of Bello Bouba Maigari saw their militants appointed to the Senate by President Biya.                                   Another fascinating outcome of the configuration of the Senate was that the SDF for the first time won all senatorial seats in the Adamawa Region and some seats in the West Region. The SDF victories were perhaps possible because of the disqualification of the CPDM lists in the two regions by elecam.

                Such an interesting mix in the Senate is  pointer to the fact that the upcoming election of Senators next month might not be a walk over. Political parties that have local councillors will still have to work hard if they hope to have any place in the Senate.        This is more so because the local councils also witnessed elections in 2013 thereby creating another opening for new Councillors which means the electoral college is likely not the same as in the last Senatorial elections.