I-General Introduction

The  will  of  the  people  shall  be  the  basis  of  the  authority  of  government;  this  will  shall  be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by equivalent free voting procedures (Art 21(3) Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948).

The right to participate freely in the government of one’s country is recognized and protected in many international human rights instruments.

These include the African Charter on Human and  Peoples’  Rights  (ACHPR), the  International  Covenant  on  Civil  and  Political  Rights (ICCPR), the  European  Convention  for  the  Protection  of  Human  Rights  and  Fundamental Freedoms and the American Convention on Human Rights (ACHR).

This right has generally been  understood  to  include  among  others  things,  the right  to  vote  and  be  voted  through  an election process that is free, fair transparent and convincing.

The free expression of the will of the people by a  secret and equal vote, through a universal, transparent and participatory election process is considered the cornerstone of an inclusive and sustainable democracy.

The right to vote and be voted can however be constrained in a myriad of  ways  by  unscrupulous,  power-hungry  and  irresponsible  governments  for  selfish  political ends. Governments in many  self-declared democracies around the world today,  have highly manipulative tendencies which render the electoral  process a façade and democracy, largely meaningless.

Many elections in flawed democracies are characterized by vote rigging, irregularities  in the observance  of  electoral  laws,  abuse  of  the  electioneering  process  and  violence  targeted  at opposition  political  parties.

This  state  of  affairs has  been  attributed  among  others,  to  the absence of credible electoral institutions. This situation has led to very unpleasant results in many instances especially in Africa resulting in violence and unrest.

Though not sufficient to guarantee free and fair elections in themselves, credible electoral institutions are a necessary condition  for  convincing  elections  because  the  overall  legitimacy  and  acceptability  of  an election depend largely on the integrity of the electoral institution and its management of the electoral process.

Election Management Bodies (as they are generally referred to) are pivotal institutions  at  the  heart  of  the  electoral  process  for  three  main  reasons.

First, they  have  an enabling function in that they establish the practical framework in which credible elections can take place.

Secondly, they have a supervisory function in that they monitor the activities of other actors in the electoral process and identify  and remedy malpractices. Lastly, they have an  education  and  communication  function  by  carrying out  civic  education  on  the  electoral process.

An election management body (EMB) that is independent, impartial, professional and  transparent  and  enjoys  the  trust  of  the  people  can  play  a  crucial  role  in  ensuring  the credibility of an election and enhancing public and political confidence in it.

Alive  to  this  reality, governments  have been  urged  in  numerous  international  for a  to  create independent,  all  inclusive,  competent  and  accountable  electoral  institutions  manned  by  well trained staff and equipped with adequate logistics to oversee the election process.

Since  the  re-introduction  of  multi-party  politics  in  Cameroon  in  1990,  several  presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections have been held. The outcome of all these elections have been hotly contested with most stake holders labeling them as seriously flawed and failing to reflect the will of the people.

Renowned international bodies involved in election observation such as the Commonwealth, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and the International Foundation for Election Systems have observed elections in Cameroon and their reports have all been dismissive of the process as a façade.

This  state  of  affairs  has  largely  been  blamed  on  the  lack  of  a  credible  and  independent elections  management  body,  given  the  fact  that  elections  in  Cameroon  have  hitherto  been managed by institutions that are not trusted by most stakeholders.

Before 2001, elections in Cameroon  were  exclusively  managed  by  the Ministry  of  Territorial  Administration  and  Decentralization  (MINADT).

Due to  the  fact  that  the  MINADT  was  highly  biased and manipulated election results in favor of the ruling party, the National Elections Observatory (NEO) was created to remedy this problem.

However, NEO’s mandate did not permit it to take an active  part  in  the  election  management  process.

It  was  limited  to  supervising  and controlling elections  while  the  actual  organization of  the  elections remained  with  the  much criticized MINADT. NEO’s role in the organization of elections in Cameroon since 2002 has been  heavily  criticized  as  ineffective  and  biased.

There  has  therefore  been  a  gradual  and dangerous institutionalization of autocratic rule in Cameroon masked in democratic garments, thanks to flawed elections occasioned by poor management.

Due  to  intense  pressure  from  opposition  political  parties,  civil  society  and  the  international community,  the  Cameroon  government  in 2006  created  Elections  Cameroon  (ELECAM)  as the sole body responsible for managing the entire election process.

However, the body was only officially made functional in January 2010 with the signing and transfer of all electoral documents  to  ELECAM  from  MINADT.

The  creation  of  ELECAM  and  the  impending challenge of it having to manage the 2011 presidential elections in Cameroon have raised a lot of debate as to whether it can, given its mandate, institutional and legislative framework, meet this  challenge  and  ensure  a  credible  ballot.

It  is  within  this  context  that  this  work  situates itself,  and  seeks  to  examine  whether  this  structure is  fully  empowered  in  terms  of  its independence,  non-partisanship  and  professional  capacity  to  credibly  manage  an  entire election process.

1-2- Statement of research problem

Elections in Cameroon have lost their relevance as a weapon in the hands of the people to hold their government accountable and as a vehicle for democratization.

Instead, elections have been used to stall the democratization process and perpetuate the stay of leaders in power even against the will of the people.

Elections in  Cameroon  have  been  marred  by  fraud  and numerous  irregularities  and  these  have  been  blamed  on  the  poor  administration  of  these elections.

This situation has been exacerbated with the creation by the government, of phony election management institutions that lack all the guarantees of independence, credibility and effectiveness that these institutions are supposed to have.

1-1-Research objectives

The integrity of the management of an election process is one of the most crucial factors that determine its overall legitimacy and acceptability.

The main questions that this work seeks to answer are the following:

1. What are the prerequisites or criteria for determining the credibility and integrity of an election management body (EMB)
2. What are the roles of NEO
3. What were the weaknesses of NEO that led to flawed elections?
4. How can these  weaknesses  be  improved  upon  to  enhance  its  credibility  and performance?

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