Election authorities in Cameroon have disqualified half of the country’s 51 presidential candidates before the October 9 poll, prompting mild demonstrations this weekend outside the electoral commission.
Cameroon’s Supreme Court is reviewing the cases of presidential hopefuls whose candidacies were thrown out Friday by the electoral commission, also known as ELECAM. Election officials say they expect the Supreme Court to issue speedy judgments. Election Board Chairman Fonkam Azu’u said the exclusions stemmed from flaws in candidate applications.
He said the applications were meticulously examined by authorities. He said 21 candidates were accepted as meeting the legal requirements. He said the others were rejected, in particular, because documents lacked legalized signatures, candidates had not paid the necessary deposit, and other errors.
Some disqualified candidates demonstrated outside the electoral commission in the capital, Yaounde, this weekend and have threatened to disrupt next month’s poll if “justice does not prevail.”
Full Article: Cameroon Presidential Candidates Contest Disqualification | Africa | English.