From: barnhart@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS:CAMEROON: ELECTION FAILS TO PRODUCE EXPECTED RESULTS
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 14:01:53 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.

Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Africa, east
Title: CAMEROON: ELECTION FAILS TO PRODUCE EXPECTED RESULTS


an inter press service feature

by tansa musa

yaounde, dec 28 (ips) -- more than two months after the oct. 11
snap presidential election, cameroonians are increasingly
becoming convinced the poll was not a worthwhile exercise after
all.

''our economy is in a worse shape now than what it was on
the eve of the election and i don't see it improving in the next
three months'', says pierre tchanque, president of cameroon's
chamber of commerce.

tchanque, a leading businessperson and member of the central
committee of the ruling cameroon people's democratic movement
(cpdm), led a group of businesspeople that in july called on
president paul biya to organise early election.

the businesspersons argued that a democratically-elected
president and government would end the political tension in this
country of 12 million people and restore the confidence of
national and foreign investors in the economy.

cameroon's economic crisis, which began in 1987, took a
devastating turn in the wake of the 1991 nationwide social
unrest -- and need urgent surgery.

but when the election came, it failed to provide the cure.
instead, it aggravated the situation as socio-political tension
rose following evidence of massive government rigging in favour
of the incumbent (president biya).

the national and international communities cried foul. john
fru ndi, biya's leading challenger and chair of the social
democratic party (sdp), claimed victory and pronounced himself
president for the next five years.

but biya moved fast to declare a state of emergency in fru
ndi's home province of the north-east, placed him under house
arrest, ordered the detention and torture of thousands of his
(fru ndi's) supporters and imposed travel restrictions.

tchanque is the most senior member of the government to admit
publicly the election was rigged.

''we do not regret for calling on the president to organise
the election'', says tchanque. ''we had good intentions. but the
election was poorly managed and this is why it was rigged''.
(more/ips)


cameroon: election (2)

tchanque argues that the one-round simple majority system
adopted for election is wrong.

''i now honestly believe we erred. if we had adopted a two-
round electoral system, there should have been a run-off between
biya and fru ndi and our country would not be in the mess in
which it is now'', says the businessperson.

he says the greatest sign that the economic situation has
worsened in this west african nation is the low participation
this year at the annual trade fair held here every december.

just about half of the stands were occupied by traders as
industrialists in the main economic town of douala boycotted the
fair.

public attendance at the 10-day fair dropped from 220,000
last year to 175,000 this year. in 1990, 300,000 people visited
the fair.

the economy took a further nose dive after hardline
opposition parties, which campaigned for fru ndi, recently
called for another ''operation ghost town'' which is strictly
adhered to in the west and north-west provinces, the country's
breadbasked.

the first ''operation ghost town'', which lasted for eight
months, took place during the 1991 unrests. it paralysed the
economy and nearly brought down biya and his government.

tchanque also blames the poor economic situation on the
''many and heavy taxes businesspersons and the people pay''.

this, he says, reduces the real incomes and buying power of
the people and discourages industrialists and investors. last
year the government imposed new taxes as the only means to
refill its empty treasury.

tchanque admits reluctantly that corruption in high
government places and capital flight involving senior, close
relatives and collaborators of the president is largely
responsible for the empty coffers.

as the political situation remains tense and the economy
continues to decline, national and international pressure is
mounting on biya to negotiate with fru ndi and organise fresh
elections.

early this month britain, germany, switzerland, the world
bank and the international monetary fund (imf) followed the
united states to suspend aid to cameroon due to poor democratic
and deteriorating human rights records.

biya himself is currently visiting europe in a veiled attempt
to woo the europeans to change their mind and let aid flow back
into his country. (end/ips/tm/apc/92)

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