President Paul Biya who doubles as the National President of the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement, CPDM on March 1, 2013 created Commissions in charge of the nomination of the CPDM candidates for the April 14, 2013 first-ever election of Senators in Cameroon. In a circular addressed to party officials and members, President Biya spelt out conditions and procedures for seeking party nomination, established the bodies that would contribute to designating candidates and set out a calendar for the nomination procedures.

Conditions

The CPDM has the ambition to have a comfortable majority in the Senate just as is the case in the National Assembly to ensure a coherent and continuous implementation of government action. The National President said, the "CPDM nominees for senatorial election shall be selected from among militants who are trustworthy and who are benefitting for the Senate to best make its contribution to the exercise of legislative power which it will be sharing with the National Assembly." Besides the qualification conditions contained in the Law, CPDM nominees must be loyal to Republican institutions, be committed militants and have political experience, show representativeness, morality, credibility, competence, respect for the ideals of unity and national integration. Each candidate is not less than 40 years on the date of the election.

Nomination Commissions

President Paul Biya created three commissions to nominate the party's candidates. The Regional Commission for the Reception, Analysis and Evaluation of applications, Central Supervision Commission and the National Nomination Commission.

Calendar of Activities

The Regional Commission for the Reception, Analysis and Evaluation of applications, based in Regional capitals, will receive complete nomination papers not later than Thursday, March 7, 2013. The commission will have to verify the compliance of the application files with laid down criteria, analyse and evaluate the files, make reasoned proposal of three lists that best meet the criteria and will forward the three lists and all other lists received to the Central Supervision Commission.

The Central Supervision Commission chaired by the Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee will have to receive the report of the Regional Commissions latest Saturday, March 9, 2013. This commission will have three days, starting from March 9 to check the compliance of the nomination files received with the laid down criteria, summarize the nomination papers and prepare the meeting of the National Nomination Commission. The work has to be done latest March 12, 2013 when the report has to be forwarded to the National Nomination Commission, headed by CPDM National President Paul Biya. The National Nomination Commission that is comprised of the party's Political Bureau members, shall draw up the list of CPDM candidates for senatorial elections.