Cameroon to re-run local elections in 11 Anglophone constituencies

The Constitutional Council of Cameroon, on Tuesday, ordered a re-run of the local and parliamentary elections in 11 constituencies in the country’s restive English-speaking regions.

 

The ruling, announced on state broadcaster CRTV on Tuesday evening, follows complaints brought by numerous political parties about the conduct of the polls earlier this month.

 

They cited, among other reasons, the long distance voters were expected to travel to reach polling stations.

 

In the two English-speaking regions in the west, the armed forces are battling separatists who want to secede from the majority French-speaking country. The 28-month conflict has claimed more than 3,000 lives and displaced more than 700,000 people, according to tolls compiled by NGOs.

 

The vote was boycotted altogether by the MRC party, whose leader Maurice Kamto told the BBC the Anglophone crisis was “a major reason” for pulling out.

 

The Social Democratic Front (SDF), the other major opposition party, took part in the vote. The party traditionally draws much of its support from the Anglophone regions but now fears that it has been outflanked by the radicals—and says its candidates there have come under attack.

 

Ahead of the Feb.9 vote, Anglophone separatist fighters had warned people to stay away from the ballot box.

 

Speaking for the ruling RDPC party on Tuesday, Grégoire Owana told state television the decision to re-run the vote was frustrating but that the party “abides by the decision”.