Calls for Boycott:

Gov’t Insists Elections Will Hold On 9 February
By Doh Bertrand Nua in Yaounde
The Minister of Communication and that of Territorial Administration have condemned politicians fronting calls for further postponement, indefinite postponement or boycott of the upcoming municipal and legislative elections slated for February 9, 2020 and insisted the elections will go on as planned. Emmanuel Rene Sadi and Atanga Nji Paul made the remarks in a joint press conference Monday 2 December, 2019 while giving government’s stance on the twin elections. 
  
    They called on leaders of political parties to demonstrate good faith, civic responsibility and national civic and republican conscience, to devote their efforts to mobilizing militants to honourably take part in the upcoming polls, which are the only instruments to confer the legality and legitimacy needed to conduct public affairs.
    To them, the successive extensions took into account the socio-political context and, consequently, the concerns raised by the national political class, particularly with regard to the security situation prevailing in the North-West and South-West Regions will be adequately handled by the President based on background information in his possession which will enable him prescribe measures necessary to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections in these Regions.
    Sadi and Atanga Nji debunked accusations raised by some political party leaders, tending to hold the powers that be responsible for their difficulty complying with the regulatory provisions, and therefore being up to date within the deadlines set for the various actors adding that all the candidates called upon to take part in the twin polls are under the same constraints and they all had to comply with the requirements of the law.  
    They urged leaders of political parties to be responsible and take into account the collective destinies of their respective political families, as well as the individual aspirations of their supporters, whose enthusiasm and determination to take part in the upcoming twin elections were felt as soon as the electorate was convened. 

    The MINAT reassured national and international opinion that all security measures will be put in place for elections to take place and ensure the reliability of the electoral process in order to enable voters exercise their civic duty freely and in complete peace of mind in all subdivisions in the country based on recommendations arrived at the just ended bi-annual conference with regional Governors.
    He reassured all and sundry of ELECAM’s independent role in the electoral process adding that the elections will be free, fair, transparent and credible because doesn’t take instructions from anyone in their decision. The Ministers appealed to the civic and patriotic consciousness of everyone and reminded leaders of political parties that an electoral process codified and standardized by law makers cannot be traded off against special interests.

MINAT, MINCOM clarify gov’t position on up-coming elections

The Ministers equally condemned what they term “maneuvers that amount to blackmail and one-upmanship” and denounced attempted interference from foreign bodies on the issue which to them are in violation of the country’s laws. Sadi expressed shocked as to why some political party leaders will put forth various considerations either to boycott the upcoming elections or to simply demand their postponement, or better still, to set conditions for their participation as though they were not aware of the fact that the extension of the mandates of MPs and municipal councilors were defined by the law and not an infinite affair.