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DE RUEHYD #0910/01 2041339
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 231339Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7965
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L YAOUNDE 000910 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/C, INL/C/CP AND EB 
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA ACTION OFFICERS 
EUCOM FOR J5-1 AFRICA DIVISION AND POLAD YATES 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KCOR PINR EAID CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON ELECTIONS: DISAPPOINTING AT FIRST BLUSH 
 
REF: A. YAOUNDE 904 
 
     ¶B. YAOUNDE 902 
     ¶C. YAOUNDE 894 
     ¶D. YAOUNDE 741 
 
Classified By: Acting P/E Chief Tad Brown for reasons 1.4 b and d. 
 
¶1.  (C)  Summary.  Cameroon on July 22 held dual legislative 
and municipal elections; initial, anecdotal reports indicate 
that President Biya's ruling party will hold onto its strong 
majority in the National Assembly and in municipal councils 
throughout much of the country.  Though it is too early to 
make a definitive characterization of the elections, numerous 
reports suggest they were plagued by poor preparation, 
inconsistent execution, and occasions of fraud.  At this time 
there are no credible reports of significant violence or 
massive, blatant malfeasance on the part of the Government of 
Cameroon (GRC) or the ruling party, the Cameroonian People's 
Democratic Movement (CPDM).  Widespread allegations of fraud 
and mismanagement and the GRC's poor handling of the 
registration and pre-election processes combine to undercut 
the legitimacy of this democratic exercise in public opinion. 
 But it is also possible that the final results will, 
nevertheless, largely represent the will of the voting 
public.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Initial reports from the Embassy's 11 observation 
teams spread across all ten provinces indicate that 
Cameroon's July 22 parliamentary and municipal elections, 
although peaceful, were marred by mismanagement, voter apathy 
and incidents of fraud.  On the other hand, most of the 
polling stations observed appeared to be functioning 
reasonably well, especially given the resource and capacity 
constraints. 
 
¶3.  (U)  The most oft-raised problem concerned the ink, which 
is supposed to indelibly mark a voter's thumb, thereby making 
it more difficult for the individual to vote again elsewhere. 
 Though the ink had been a problem in 2004 and the GRC had 
made repeated, public and private assurances that the problem 
had been resolved, it became immediately clear that the ink 
provided to polling stations could be easily wiped off.  In 
addition, teams noted that election workers did not 
understand the purpose of the ink and many decided to take 
voters' thumbprints, for no discernible purpose. 
 
¶4.  (C)  The handling of voter registration lists and voter 
cards was also identified as problematic in many areas. 
Specifically, there were allegations that the voter lists in 
some polling stations on July 22 were not the same voter 
lists that had been publicly displayed and against which 
voters had checked their status.  Additionally, large numbers 
of voters claimed not to have received their voter cards.  In 
some places the polling station commissions (composed of 
representatives from the GRC and the political parties 
contesting the election) reached ad hoc standards for 
determining what identification was needed to allow an 
individual to vote.  These decisions were not regularized and 
were at times out of conformity with election law.  Some 
observer teams witnessed instances of multiple or fraudulent 
voting. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Press and anecdotal reports suggest 
behind-the-scenes fraud and intimidation in some areas from 
agents of the GRC and the ruling CPDM party.  Although our 
observation teams witnessed few of these incidents directly, 
we believe they are reasonably credible and indicative of 
events in contested races. 
 
¶6.  (U)  The leading opposition party, the Social Democratic 
Front (SDF), has denounced the elections as fraudulent and 
promised to file lawsuits challenging the elections in court 
as soon as July 23.  Adamou Ndam Njoya, president of the 
opposition party Cameroonian Democratic Union (UDC), told the 
Voice of America he does not believe a fair outcome is 
possible, given the extent of fraud involved. 
 
Comment 
======= 
 
¶7.  (C)  While it is still too soon for a full analysis of 
the elections, it is clear that fraud, intimidation and 
mismanagement marred the electoral process, at least in the 
court of public opinion.  Much of what our teams observed was 
calm, reasonably orderly voting without controversy.  But the 
reports of fraud we received, combined with the more 
widespread allegations reported in the press, raise troubling 
questions. 
 
¶8.  (U)  We will wait to characterize the elections until 
more is known about the extent to which the reports of 
mismanagement and fraud are substantive enough to call into 
doubt the legitimacy of the election itself.  In the coming 
days, we will meet with representatives from the GRC, the 
National Elections Observatory (ONEL), other diplomatic and 
observer missions, and political parties in an effort to draw 
comprehensive conclusions as to whether or not this election 
cycle represents progress for democracy in Cameroon.  End 
comment. 
NELSON