Eugene Che
27 October 2008
Some of the incidences that characterised the 2007 Municipal and Legislative elections were repeated during Sunday, October 26 reruns. Love voter turn up, violence, and fraud marked the reruns in Douala V.
Three parties were involved in the Douala V reruns- CPDM, the SDF and the UPC. The CPDM list is headed by incumbent Mayor of Douala V, Françoise Foning, the SDF by Boniface Duoh, and the UPC list led by Emmanuel Kotte.
Voters' response to most of the polling stations in the Littoral was very timid. Even though most of the polling stations declared elections open by 8am, there were no voters yet. In fact, the first voter in the controversial CEFTI centre where massive electoral fraud was recorded last year, cast his vote at about 9am, one hour after the official opening of the polls.
Most people, especially those who do business in the city of Douala could be seen carrying on their daily activities, despite a communiqué from the Governor of the Littoral, banning such activities. Out of about 1500 voters expected in some three polling stations at the centre, only about 24 turned up to vote by the time votes were being counted.
Polls Plagued By Problems
Most of the polling stations in the Littoral witnessed significant incidences, some which caused tension and led to the intervention of administrative authorities or the temporary suspension of the polls in some centres.
In the Douala V voting station, which couples as the biggest in the Littoral, controversy arose over the identification of voters. Some of the voters did not possess ID cards, but receipts, some of which had already expired. Worse still, some of the ID cards had numbers which did not correspond to those on the voter registers. It was until the DO for Douala V intervened to authorise those in possession of valid ID card receipts to vote, that tensions were quelled and voting continued.
The same Douala V witnessed another incident in which the voting return sheets were torn in a row. Some members of the CPDM and UPC had gone ahead to sign the return sheets which according to electoral law, were to be signed only after the polls have been closed. The SDF party refused to sign the register, and a row erupted, leading to the tearing of the sheets.
Elsewhere in Bangue, it was the absence of up to two polling stations in that centre. Usually, each polling centre hosts ten polling stations, as was the case in all the centres in the Littoral. But the Bangue centre had only eight out of the ten, a situation which led to violence when the SDF party asked why. Voting was temporarily halted, until the sub prefect for Wouri V, Gabriel Ngundu, brought in two extra ballot boxes to make it ten.
Other cases of electoral malpractices were alleged to have occurred at the Government High School Bepanda, where a CPDM mandated representative was being accused of stuffing at least ten voters' cards into the ballot box.
Meanwhile, at Makepe Petit Pays, people were reportedly bribed with CFA2000 each to vote for the CPDM, and lime, used to wipe off the ink from the thumbs of the alleged fraudsters. An SDF militant is said to have discovered the mafia, after he posed as a potential fraudster, and then called the SDF MP for Wouri V, Jean Michel Nintcheu.
Police chased away the press from the scene a few minutes later. Cases of multiple voting were also reported at Ndogbong, where a UPC militant is said to have imported voters from as far as Yaounde.
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