CAMEROON: ELECTIONS CAMEROON (ELECAM) DELAYED BY

UNCLAS YAOUNDE 000672 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CM PGOV PHUM SUBJECT: CAMEROON: ELECTIONS CAMEROON (ELECAM) DELAYED BY SIX MONTHS ¶1. (U) On June 27, the GRC asked the National Assembly to extend the implementation deadline for the creation of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) by six months, leaving in place the National Observatory of Elections (ONEL) and the current electoral administration structure in place during the interim. On June 28, Minister of Territorial Administration Hamidou Yaya Marafa explained to members of the National Assembly that eighteen months to create ELECAM was impractical and insufficient for the amount of work that needed to be done. The GRC then presented an amendment to the ELECAM law to extend its deadline for another six months. Several Parliamentarians voiced their disappointment over ELECAM's delay; however, they agreed to amend the ELECAM law to read as follows: "The National Observatory for Elections (ONEL) and other competent electoral structures, until ELECAM is put in place not to exceed 24 months, will continue to exercise their positions respectively." On June 30, President Biya signed a bill into law finalizing this extension. Under a 2006 law, ELECAM was to be created within eighteen months, by June 30, 2008. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: Minister of Territorial Administration Hamidou Yaya Marafa and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Gregoire Owona previewed this announcement during a June 25 dinner hosted by the Ambassador. They claimed that establishing ELECAM was complicated and the government needed more time. Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni told Ambassador on June 26 that he had submitted a list of names for the Commission to the President and hoped it would be approved in the next month (his information suggests he was out of the loop on the decision to extend the deadline). For many Cameroonains this postponement was a surprising disappointment. Some democracy activists had spoken out forcefully against ELECAM as lacking independence because of the President's power to appoint members. Nonetheless, the creation of ELECAM was a significant benchmark for many observers here, including many donors, and its postponement is a missed opportunity to move Cameroonian democracy forward. GARVEY