Editorial: 2025 elections; Biya should heed Bishops' advice.

The one-time president of the Bishops of Cameroon, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, is on record to have said Cameroon’s Electoral Code is so flawed, to the point election results are "decided before voting takes place".

He made that acerbic criticism of the Electoral Code, following the 2018 presidential election. 

Key opposition leaders like Maurice Kamto, Joshua Osih and Cabal Libii, who took part in the election, were also critical of the Electoral Code.

Also critical with recommendations for amendments, were independent election observers like the Commonwealth, La Francophonie and African Union, AU. 

The Cameroon electoral law as they all pointed out, has four fundamental defects. The first is that youth of 18 and 19 years of age are disenfranchised and not allowed to decide who governs them, even at council level!

The second point is that the use of multiple ballots has resulted in those of opposition parties often not enough at polling stations. 

Multiple ballots also facilitate stuffing of ballot boxes, while single ballots cut costs, reduces the time results are compiled and hastens the release of final results.

The third point is that results at each polling station, which are also signed by representatives of all candidates and ELECAM, should be accepted in law. 

There is no sane logic why only that of ELECAM, is legally recognized; which could lead to a single unscrupulous official falsifying his own result copy, against those of some other representatives who were at the polling stations. 

Does fair play not require that all the results be tendered where there is a dispute?

Fourth point is that ELECAM should be answerable to the National Assembly, not to the Head of State and should proclaim election results, while the Constitutional Council only adjudicates where the results are challenged.

Since 2018, when the demands were made to review the Electoral Code, to ensure free, transparent, fair, credible and inclusive elections in the country, Yaounde has been adamant.

At the 49th Plenary Assembly of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon, NECC, held in Yaounde recently, and which was chaired by Mgr Andrew Nkea, Archbishop of Bamenda, the Bishops expressed concerns over the political, social and economic levels of the country.

In what they called the first part of their worries, they complained of slowness in the implementation of the law on decentralisation, insecurity, high cost of living and the meteoric rise of secularism.

In the second part, they called on the Biya regime to ensure free and transparent elections and the revision of the country’s Electoral Code.

"We emphasise these two parts of our message.But also, the desecration of sacred places, homosexuality and the abusive exploitation of natural and mining resources, which undermine the development of citizens,” they said. 

Despite the flaws in the Electoral Code, the Bishops, nonetheless advised citizens to register massively on the electoral lists, to fulfill their civic duty in conscience in an orderly manner, during the upcoming elections.

Violence, often leading to indiscriminate killings, has been rampant in Africa, following rigged elections, which the bishops want should be avoided. But there should be no reason for people to be killed to have fair elections. 

“I can say that the bishops have observed that human life is trivialised in our country. We emphasise the teaching of the Catholic Church that human life is sacred. People only insist on the first part of our message, which encourages Cameroonians to register massively on the electoral lists for the next elections. The second part calls on public authorities to ensure free and transparent elections and the revision of the Electoral Code. We insist on these two parts of our message,” said the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bamenda, at the close of their conference.

Since the buck ends at the opulent presidential desk, there is no doubt the message is addressed to President Paul Biya, who himself is a Catholic faithful.

The Guardian Post commends the Men of God of the Catholic Church, whose followers constitute some 30 percent of the Cameroon population.

As Prof Rev Christopher Byaruhanga noted in one of his numerous writings: "...as the conscience of society, the church must address moral issues and measure public actions in society by biblical standards of justice and righteousness. When it addresses political issues, the church must not be...seen as another political interest group".

Being the apolitical conscience of society, the Catholic Church has added its voice to the review of the electoral law.

The Guardian Post urges President Biya to heed the divine voices and order for the relevant revision of the country's Electoral Code, before the next elections, for the interest of justice and peace.