2025 presidentials: Cameroon needs more than cash from UN.

The United Nations technical assistance will cover the electoral processes according to an agreement signed recently by the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Cameroon, Issa Sanogo, and the Acting Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, in Cameroon, Opia Mensah Kumah. It was signed on the ELECAM side by the Chairman of the Electoral Board of ELECAM, Dr Enow Abrams Egbe, and the Director General of Elections at ELECAM, Dr Erik Essousse. 

By the accord, the assistance will cover: the presidential election, the regional elections expected in December, the combined legislative/municipal elections of February 2026, as well as the senatorial elections, planned for 2028.

A UN press release issued last month pointed out that the technical assistance project will "promote multi-party dialogue to contribute to a peaceful electoral process, particularly through consultation platforms and joint commissions, also targeting specific groups of stakeholders (such as religious leaders, the media, civil society organisations; including women's and youth associations); support the strengthening of ELECAM's institutional capacities, including the training of its staff and agents to improve their preparation and ability to effectively organise and manage elections; and promote inclusion, citizen participation and electoral education among all stakeholders in the electoral process, particularly women, young people, the media, people with disabilities and socially vulnerable groups". 

The UN specified that "this electoral assistance project constitutes a UN contribution to fostering a peaceful and inclusive environment before, during, and after the elections, while strengthening ELECAM's institutional capacities.

"It follows an application from ELECAM, addressed to the UN Secretary General, the recommendations of the Needs Assessment Mission (NAM), as well as the decision of the UN focal point delineating the areas of intervention for technical assistance," he added. 

But does Cameroon need technical assistance to organise elections? Why was the money not given to support the holding of municipal and legislative elections last year, which were controversially postponed because of "financial constraints"?

Will the UN not be accused as an accomplice, if after the "assistance," the elections are judged by international observers not to be credible?

Why did the UN not assist and pressurise Cameroon to amend the electoral law as recommended by international elections observers?

Has that money assisted ELECAM to publish the electoral list as demanded by law?

The Guardian Post is not opposed to the United Nations' assistance to Cameroon to organise free, fair, transparent and credible elections that guarantee peace, before, during and after elections.

What is worrying and which the opposition has already expressed concern is that the paramount issues needed for credible elections are not being addressed by that assistance.

For instance, the assistance does not apply to the consensual reform of the Electoral Code, the necessity of which the United Nations' partner of choice, ELECAM, itself recognised following the 2018 presidential election.

It does not help ELECAM to comply with the current Electoral Code to make public the "national electoral roll" in accordance with Article 80 of the Electoral Law.

The assistance does not help the government to respect the electoral calendar, as it postponed the legislative and municipal elections from February 2025 to March 2026, based on what the MRC leader, Prof Maurice Kamto, styled as "spurious reasons and in flagrant violation of Article 15, paragraph 4, of the constitution".

It does not help to answer why a candidate like Kamto, who was runner up in the 2018 presidential election, is being tagged as unqualified to run for this year’s presidential election.

Be it as it has been, the first Steering Committee meeting for the United Nations Technical Assistance Project for the 2025-2027 Electoral Cycle is holding in Mbankomo, Mefou and Akono Division of the Centre Region, since yesterday. The session ends today.

There, the UN Resident Coordinator, Dr Issa Sanogo, reiterated that: “The ultimate objective [of the assistance is inclusive elections, peaceful elections and therefore all the stakeholders; be they journalists or ELECAM members, political parties, civil society, community members, we are expecting that we will engage in a dialogue as part of some of the initial activities that we will be implementing as we go forward”.

But will that "dialogue" change the flaws pointed out in the Electoral Code?

The Board Chair of ELECAM, Dr Enow Abrams Egbe, explained at the meeting that the overall objective of the project is to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a peaceful climate of trust and serenity among the main electoral actors, while strengthening the capacities of staff and field agents for the proper preparation and management of the upcoming elections, in order to promote inclusive citizen participation and civic education before, during, and after the elections.

The Guardian Post hopes those objectives shall be met, including shortening of time to declare results and provision of equal time for all contestants on government media and freedom for political parties to hold their rallies.

Without being pessimistic, we, however, believe the United Nations needed to do more to ensure there is a level playing field as any assistance without a consensual Electoral Code embedded with democratic values, could just be like being part of a problem rather than a solution. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3485 of Thursday June 26, 2025