Former Prime Minister of Canada to lead Observers for Cameroon Elections

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon today announced that the Commonwealth Observer Group for the Presidential Election in Cameroon will be led by the Rt Hon Joe Clark, former Prime Minister of Canada.  The Election is scheduled to be held on 11 October 2004.

Mr McKinnon said that the Observer Group has been established in response to an invitation from the Government of Cameroon. The Group will consist of sixteen eminent Commonwealth citizens, supported by ten Commonwealth Secretariat staff.  The eminent Observers are as follows:

The Staff Support Team will be led by Mr Matthew Neuhaus, Director of the Political Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The full Observer Group will start work on Monday 4 October 2004, when it will hold a press conference at the Yaoundé Hilton at 10.00 am.  Ms Maiché has been present in Cameroon since 25 September as an 'Advance Observer'.

The Observers have been invited in their individual capacities and the views they express regarding the elections will be their own and not those either of their respective Governments or of the Commonwealth Secretariat. 

Note to Editors:

Commonwealth observers have already been present in Cameroon once this year, at the invitation of the Government of Cameroon.  A Commonwealth Expert Team visited Cameroon from 31 August - 7 September 2004 to observe the registration of voters.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General also sent a Commonwealth Secretariat Assessment Mission in September of this year.  This established that there would be broad support from the political parties and civil society for the presence of Commonwealth Observers.

This will be the 45^th Observer Group to have been constituted by Commonwealth Secretaries-General since October 1990.  The Terms of Reference for the Observer Group are:

"The Group is established by the Commonwealth Secretary-General at the request of the Cameroon Government.  It is to observe relevant aspects of the organisation and conduct of the Presidential Election which is scheduled to take place on 11 October 2004, in accordance with the laws of Cameroon.  It is to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of the electoral process as a whole and to determine in its own judgement whether the conditions exist for a free expression of will by the electors and if the results of the elections reflect the wishes of the people.

The Group is to act impartially and independently. It has no executive role; its function is not to supervise but to observe the process as a whole and to form a judgement accordingly. It would also be free to propose to the authorities concerned such action on institutional, procedural and other matters as would assist the holding of such elections.

The Group is to submit its report to the Commonwealth Secretary-General, who will forward it to the Government of Cameroon, the Chairman of the National Electoral Observatory, the leadership of the political parties taking part in the election and thereafter to all Commonwealth Governments."

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