Commonwealth Team to observe Cameroon presidential elections

A Commonwealth Expert Team will observe the presidential elections due to take place on 9 October 2011 in Cameroon, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced on 3 October 2011. The Team has been constituted at the invitation of the Minister of External Relations of Cameroon.

Mr Sharma said that the team of six experts, supported by a four-member staff team from the Commonwealth Secretariat, will be led by Frederick Mitchell MP, former Foreign Affairs Minister for The Bahamas.

The Secretary-General added that the mandate of the team is to observe the preparations for the election; the polling, counting and results process; and the overall electoral environment. The team is to assess the overall conduct of the process and make appropriate recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral process in Cameroon.

The team arrives in Yaoundé on 3 October 2011 and will remain in Cameroon until 15 October 2011.

The full composition of the Commonwealth Expert Team is as follows:

Fred Mitchell (Chair)
Former Foreign Minister
The Bahamas

Gabrielle Giroday
Journalist
Winnipeg Free Press
Canada

Samuel Tembenu
Lawyer and former President, Malawi Law Society
Malawi

Irfan Abdool Rahman
Electoral Commissioner
Mauritius

Ambassador Bariyu Adekunle Adeyemi
Former Diplomat
Nigeria

Dr Tumelontle Thiba
Provincial Electoral Officer
North West Province
South Africa

The Commonwealth Secretariat support staff team will be led by Linford Andrews, Political Affairs Officer in the Political Affairs Division.

The Commonwealth observed the 1997 Presidential Elections and the 2002 Municipal and Legislative Elections in Cameroon. The Commonwealth also observed the 2004 Presidential Elections. A Commonwealth Assessment Team was present for the 2007 Parliamentary Elections.

Note to Editors:

The Team’s report will be submitted to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will then in turn send it to the Government of Cameroon, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), and Commonwealth governments.

The Expert Team will act impartially and independently and shall conduct itself according to the standards expressed in the International Declaration of Principles for Election Observation to which the Commonwealth is a signatory.

For media enquiries, please contact:

In Cameroon: Linford Andrews, Political Affairs Officer, on tel: +44 (0)752-5392-496, +237 96001541 or e-mail: l.andrews@commonwealth.int

In London: Julius Mucunguzi, Communications Officer and Assistant Spokesperson for Africa on e-mail: j.mucunguzi@commonwealth.int or tel: +44-7894-593-517.