The readjustment of the NUDP list in Far North, CPDM in the East and Far North Regions was discussed yesterday April 2, 2013 in Yaounde at a meeting of the board members of Cameroon's election governing body, ELECAM. The meeting was chaired by ELECAM Board Chair, Samuel Fonkam Azu'u.

This follows the ruling of the Supreme Court acting as the Constitutional Council on March 28, 2013 accepting the lists of the aforementioned parties with corrections. Members were expected to study the files of those replaced in the lists of the aforementioned parties with the view of re-establishing the lists for upcoming elections of first-ever Senators. The CPDM list in the Far North was reinstated for the party to replace Fayçal Mourad of non-Cameroonian nationality and Louis Aimé Belekou of the East Region of under age. The NUDP is also expected as per the Supreme Court in its ruling to replace an under aged candidate.

This comes on the heels of the rejection of 23 lists from the CPDM, SDF, UDC, ANDP, UPC, FSNC, MDR and UNDP parties on March 20, 2013 for upcoming elections on counts of irregularities in the composition of files for candidates' lists. The rejection hinged on the inclusion of under aged candidates, non- legalisation of files by appropriate authorities and the lack of gender representation. In all, 15 petitions were examined by the Supreme Court, acting as the Constitutional Council and three were reinstated.

Section 128 of the Electoral Code indicates in its Section One that "Where a candidate put forward by a political party is disqualified by the Constitutional Council after the publication of the lists of candidates, they may be replaced by another candidate of the same political party. The said candidate must fulfill the conditions of eligibility laid down by this law." Such replacement, the law continues, must take place within no more than three days of the decision of the Constitutional Council.

ELECAM Board members were therefore in a session yesterday as per the law, to re-examine the three rehabilitated lists in view of April 14 elections into the Senate.