Jean de Dieu Momo, President of the opposition party Democrat Patriots for the Development of Cameroon (PADDEC) and losing candidate in the Cameroonian presidential election of 2011, faced a lot of critiques in the media because of a picture showing him voting during the American presidential election on 8 November 2016, in Yaoundé.

Many surmised that he had the American nationality since he voted during the election which led to the victory of Donald Trump in the USA.

In reality, though Jean de Dieu Momo did indeed cast his ballot, we must understand that on the fringes of the US election, the US Ambassador in Cameroon organises a voting session in parallel during the night called “election night”. Americans vote during the day a the embassy. But in the evening, the parallel election is a simulation, reserved for Cameroonians.

American diplomats thus invite a number of personalities to vote for the candidate they would have chosen had they been American. It is therefore a gimmick election. Cameroonians campaign for candidates. Two camps (Republicans and Democrats) battle it out while drinking and eating kebabs.

In Yaoundé, Cameroonians such as Jean de Dieu Momo elected the democrat Hilary Clinton in majority. But some participants, during this simulation vote, also have the right of not showing their preference. For example Garga Haman Adji, President of ADD (Alliance for Democracy and Development) or the former President of the Bar, Akere Muna.

Sylvain Andzongo