From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Aaron Barnhart)
Subject: IPS: CAMEROON: OPPOSITION PARTIES WARM U
Originator: barnhart@gagme
Organization: Gagme Public Access UNIX, Chicago, Illinois.
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1992 14:02:48 GMT

Area: Africa, southern
Title: CAMEROON: OPPOSITION PARTIES WARM UP TO EARLY ELECTION PROPOSAL


yaounde, aug 19 (ips/tansa musa) -- cameroon's leading
opposition parties have reversed their decision to boycott the
forthcoming presidential elections in the west african country.

''in politics nothing is static'', argues social democratic
front (sdf) chair john fru ndi whose party's new course of
action has surprised the electorate.

the sdf refused to take part in national assembly elections
in march saying it could only do so when cameroon's electoral
code guaranteed free and fair competition.

''my party militants who decided that we should not go to the
(legislative) polls now say 'power to the people'. they think we
should run and we cannot say no when people say yes'', the sdf
leader announced over the weekend.

presidential elections in cameroon are scheduled for march
1993. however, president paul biya is suspected of intending
to bring forward the elections before the end of this year.

a group of 17 businesspersons, all members of the ruling
cameroon people's democratic movement (cpdm), recently urged
biya to call the elections and stand as the party's candidate
under the country's new multiparty system.

an early election, they said, would clear the current tension
and suspense in the country, restore peace and the confidence of
investors, vital for the recovery of cameroon's ailing economy.

assuring biya of their ''sincere support'', 13 traditional
chiefs last week came together requesting him, on behalf of 36
other chiefs in western cameroon, to get in the race for the
presidency. this used to be the practice under the abolished
one-party system.

political observers here believe the president himself is
behind the manoeuvre intended to indicate that a decision to
call early elections was prompted by public pressure. in that
way biya could scrape by as his party did in the snap national
assembly elections.

''the sdf will participate in the early presidential election
whatever may be the flaws of the electoral law'', ndi told a
gathering of sdf supporters in bamenda, north-west cameroon.

''some people have interpreted our condemnation of the idea
of an early election to mean we are afraid. the sdf is not
afraid of any election. we insist on fair competitive
conditions. we are ready even now for the election'', he said.
(more/ips)


cameroon: opposition (2)

meanwhile, bello bouba maigari, leader of national union for
democracy and progress (undp) says his party ''will not only
participate in the election. we are going to present a
candidate''.

''our party is working for change in this country and will
not miss any opportunity given us to effect that change. this is
the time'', maigari told journalists after a tour of bamenda
province.

in march maigari made a last minute decision to let the undp
contest legislative assembly elections against a common position
agreed by opposition parties to boycott the polls on the grounds
that they would be rigged by biya.

on second thoughts, he said, his party fielded candidates in
order to ''change things from within''. the undp eventually won
68 of the 180 seats in parliament, becoming the leading
opposition party in the house in a result that was interpreted
as more a vote of no-confidence in biya rather than acclaim for
undp.

considered as the most popular party in cameroon, the sdf has
been criticised for skipping the parliamentary elections,
missing the opportunity to flush the cpdm out of power.

besides undp and sdf, cameroon democratic union (udc) of dr.
adamu ndam njoya, monday announced its decision to participate
in the next presidential election unconditionally.

samuel eboua, leader of movement for democracy and progress
(mdp) is still buying time to announce its readiness to follow
the same course. the party insists on revision of the country's
constitution and prior publication of the electoral law.

''the problem in cameroon is the system. the mdp wants a
change of the system. that is why we insist that the
constitution which concentrates too much powers in the hands of
one man - the president - must be revised to ensure a true and
lasting democracy'', says eboua.

only cameroon people's union (upc) has vowed to ''do
everything possible'' to block the election. party leader
frederick koddock said the northern town of garoua on monday
that the early election strategy was only another attempt by the
cpdm to ''frustrate the democratic process'' in cameroon.

other small parties which eagerly ran for and lost the
legislative elections have so far remained mute.

according to government circles here, biya intends to summon
parliament for an extraordinary session to set conditions for
the election. the president wants a one-round simple majority
electoral system, a senior official in the ministry of
territorial administration told ips. (end/ips/tm/ar/oa/92)



-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african