This year, 368,119 individuals have been added to the voter’s list with the new update, Elections Cameroon (Elecam) reveals.  This represents an 8.79% year-on-year increase. Speaking at a press briefing at Elecam’s Yaoundé headquarters late last week, Erik Essousse (photo), Chief Electoral Officer, said the increase was undoubtedly a source of satisfaction.

Another source of satisfaction, according to the chief electoral officer, is the percentage of young individuals and disabled persons registered following Elecam’s goal this year. Indeed, of the 368,119 new voters registered, over 255,000 are young individuals and 444 are disabled persons. 

To achieve this goal, Elecam stepped up awareness campaigns on various social media platforms used by the youth. It also called on the contribution of several well-known web influencers and the help of some political parties that encouraged their members to register to vote.  

Another key goal for Elecam is to reach people in areas where voter registration is still low, mainly because the areas are far from major urban centers. To achieve this, Elecam relied on a proximity strategy, broadcasting messages in local languages on community radios. In addition, educational talks are held in localities to get closer to the population.

The electoral body wants to pursue that proximity strategy by stepping up dialogue with various stakeholders (the administration, political parties, civil society, etc.) through permanent consultation platforms.  The ultimate goal of those platforms is to register as many indigenous voters as possible, notably in the Bororo and Pygmy communities. 

Michel Ange Nga