The Electoral Reform Project (ERP) supports PICAM’s Democracy and Human Rights programs. It is premised on the fact that the conduct of elections in Cameroon leaves much to be desired and the project is aimed at changing the laws, institutions, and ways elections are conducted in Cameroon. It holds that a fair and transparent voting system will improve Cameroon’s democracy efforts, empower voters, and ensure accountability by compelling elected officials to be better representatives of their constituents.

Since the reintroduction of multiparty politics in Cameroon in the early 1990s, reports of widespread of voter disenfranchisement through complex registration processes; extensive rigging machinery; and the use of administrative officers and security forces to defend election fraud have always clouded each election. Despite the prominence and denunciation of wide spread irregularities in all elections conducted in Cameroon, little corrective action appears to have been taken. This project advocates strongly that the opportunity of a real choice for voters should not be compromised.

The major premise of the Electoral Reform Project is the call for the establishment of an Independent Electoral Commission in Cameroon to be in charge of organizing and managing elections in Cameroon. The need for such an electoral protectorate exists in all democracies, but given the history of electoral malfeasance in Cameroon, a healthy and resolute force for unbiased elections is especially essential. A robust and independent body will stand apart from the bias of any political organization, and holds the preservation of free elections, and thus the good of the nation, as its sole objective.

Besides the call for the establishment of an independent electoral commission, this project will also advocate for other pertinent electoral reform elements that together with a robust and independent electoral body will guarantee transparent free and fair elections in Cameroon. As a top priority in this regard, this project is making a resolute appeal for the complete dissociation of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization from involvement in electoral affairs in Cameroon.

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