CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND ELECTORAL STUDIES
(CDES CAMEROON)
Promoting Excellence in the Management of Democracy and
Electoral Processes.
ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Former The Crown Plaza Building
Commercial Avenue, Street 6
Box 355 Tiko
South West Region, Cameroon
Tel: +237 3335 1079 / 3302 7335
Fax: +237 3335 1079
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cdescameroon.org
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
CONTENT
TITLE PAGE
Cover Page …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Table of Content ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Message from the Founder / Executive Director ……………………………………………………………………………….
CDES Cameroon’s Vision ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
CDES Cameroon’s Mission …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
CDES Cameroon’s Background ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Purpose …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Main Objectives ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Core Principles ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Coverage / Population being Served ………………………………………………………………………………………
CDES Cameroon’s Programs …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Democracy Program ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
o Election Integrity Project ………………………………………………………………………………………….
o Good Governance Initiative ……………………………………………………………………………………..
o Civic Participation Program ……………………………………………………………………………………….
Human Rights Programs …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
o Right to Gender Equality and Youth Civic Protection Initiative …………………………………
o Protection of Disability and Minority Rights ……………………………………………………………..
Highlights of Accomplishments 2012 – 2013...........................................................................................
- Women in Cameroon’s Leadership in 2013 ……………………………………………………………………………
- Engaged Youths in Safeguarding Electoral Integrity ………………………………………………………………
- Enhanced Electoral Credibility through Media ……………………………………………………………………….
- Active Political Party Agents for Transparent Elections ………………………………………………………….
- Credible Assessment of the Conduct of the 2013 Elections ……………………………………………………
- Installed Library Promoted Knowledge and Research …………………………………………………………….
- Our Membership with International Networks ………………………………………………………………………
People Talking our Story ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
- Female Elected Mayor of Buea City …………………………………………………………………………………………
- Intern gained Significant Knowledge ……………………………………………………………………………………….
Our Gratitude ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
A Call for Action …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Message from the Founder and Executive Director
We have come a long way to establish this unique organization in
Cameroon and I want to use this opportunity to give you a brief about
CDES Cameroon, our programs and accomplishments since the
creation of this organization. In 1991, Cameroon suffered one of the
world’s bloodiest Presidential elections and since then, electoral
processes have consistently been undermined by its main stakeholders. The Presidential
elections of 2011 though managed by the newly created Independent Election Management
Body and prevented from violence was not an exception. The legal framework and the capacity
of the body organizing the elections were called to question and failures attested thereafter.
Within these backdrops, the Center for Democracy and Electoral Studies, CDES Cameroon was
formed with main objective to build capacities, train, advocate for changes, promote
inclusiveness, conduct research and give opportunities for students to explore tools that
enhance the credibility of our democracy. Without these elements, social justice, a responsive
political framework and sustainable development cannot be achieved.
While acknowledging that these processes continue to be slow in our environment where the
Civil Society is fragile and not vibrant enough to propel these efforts, CDES Cameroon achieved
some mile stones in 2013. Our main focus for the year was promoting participation of women
and youth in the electoral process, professionalizing election reporting by the media, engage
political party agents to safeguard electoral transparency and conducting an assessment of the
election as a whole. We went through tough challenges to push our efforts to succeed.
We are happy to share with you in this report the achievements and the impact of these
activities to our population. We commit to continue to do our best with your support in the
accomplishment to establish credible and sustained democracy and good governance in
Cameroon.
Thank you in advance for taking time to read this report and please if you have any comments,
reach us at [email protected]
Atem Oben Henry E.
Founder / Executive Director
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
1. VISION
CDES Cameroon’s vision in that of a Cameroon where everyone enjoys the rights and privileges
enshrined in all International conventions and instruments and national laws; a Cameroon in
which democracy principles are respected and upheld; a Cameroon in which peace and justice
2. MISSION
In a world where democracy and elections cannot be taken for granted, the mission of the
Center is:
»To educate, promote and sustain excellence
through the respect of key values and principles
of a decent and credible democracy. «
In addressing our mission we:
1. Identify, equip and promote the right people to do the job for the good of everyone.
2. Create a fraternity of elections experts in solidarity with one another in the business of
importing and exporting elections expertise anywhere in the world.
3. Focus on democracy, governance and elections – in establishing a sustainable human
resource base for professionals in the career of democracy, human right and elections.
4. Enable professional who believe in
accountable and credible elections to
take responsibility and ensure their
beliefs and dreams for their
institutions are met.
5. Conduct research and advocacy for the
inclusion of the marginalized and
minority in decision-making processes.
prevails and everyone enjoys equal opportunities;
a Cameroon in which everyone is given the chance
to participate equally without discrimination; a
Cameroon in which leaders are called to account
for their actions in a transparent and fair manner
within which every voice and choice is valued.
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
3. BACKGROUND
The Center for Democracy and Electoral Studies, CDES Cameroon, is an independent,
nonpolitical, nongovernmental and nonprofit organization founded in 2011, started operating
in 2012, dedicated to promoting and sustaining excellence in the management of democracy
and support to electoral processes in Cameroon. The Center aims at contributing towards
achieving credibility in the management of democracy, governance and electoral processes.
The Center seeks to promote awareness and adherence to democratic principles and
obligations. Our core principles are related to the advancement of Human Rights and
Democracy via a series of projects, and also foster research in these fields by creating
opportunities for Human Rights activists, election practitioners, graduate and undergraduate
students to volunteer, intern and study at the Center and its partner institutions. CDES
Cameroon is independent of any government influence, political ideology or religious
persuasions.
CDES Cameroon was founded against the background of social injustice, inequalities and
instability, deficiencies in electoral legal frameworks and stakeholder capacity to decently
manage electoral processes, lack of responsive governance and institutional support to the
poor, underprivileged and underrepresented and other forms of societal ills that continue to
plague our society.
3.1. PURPOSE
CDES Cameroon was formed for the purpose of:
Building stakeholder capacities and promoting public understanding of the different
forms of electoral systems and processes through stakeholder meetings, workshops and
conferences;
Nurturing and sustaining electoral leadership, democracy and good governance through
networking and establishing forums for exchange of information and expertise;
Promoting professionalism, integrity and excellence in the management of elections,
democracy and governance processes within institutions and among practitioners;
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Promoting inclusiveness and local level participation of the underrepresented in civic
processes;
Conducting comparative analysis with the aim of advocating for reforms;
Inculcating in citizens the need to take responsibility by participating in the public life of
the state through a series of sensitization campaigns and round table conferences.
3.2. MAIN OBJECTIVE
Our main objective is to promote excellence in the management of democracy, governance and
electoral processes through capacity building, training, advocate for changes, enhancing
inclusiveness, conduct research and give opportunities for students to explore tools that
enhance the credibility of our democracy.
3.3. CORE PRINCIPLE
CDES Cameroon recognizes that capacity building and public understanding of electoral
processes is vital to ensuring electoral transparency credibility; that promoting inclusiveness is
inseparable with enhancing human rights; that democratic participation is an indivisible value
of good and accountable governance; that responsive leadership and professionalism are vital
outputs of vibrant networks and integral elements of human interaction in promoting peace
and stability; and peace and stability are inevitable factors for development necessary to bring
improvement in the lives of Cameroonians.
3.4. COVERAGE / POPULATION SERVED
CDES Cameroon is a national organization with its
program limited with the national territory of Cameroon.
It is an independent organization with its program
targeting all segment of Cameroon’s population including
youths, women, political parties, media, minority, people
with disabilities (PWD), staff of the electoral commission
etc.
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
CDES Cameroon does not distinguish or discriminate against any person on the basis of age,
sex, race, color, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexual orientation, language, socio-economic
status, political opinion or religious affiliation in any of its programs and undertakings.
4. PROGRAMS
CDES Cameroon’s approach to achieving its mission and objectives is vested in its programs. We
adopted an approach, a combination of Democracy, Governance and Human Right programs
with distinct objectives whose impact meets our desired goal to creating a peaceful, stable
Cameroon where everyone enjoys and participate equally in nation building through
established processes.
4.1. DEMOCRACY PROGRAM
Our democracy program focuses on three main areas; Electoral Credibility, Governance and
Civic Participation.
a. Electoral Credibility.
Building capacities and train key election stakeholders; media, political parties,
election management staff (EMB) and citizen election monitors to professionally
conduct elections that are acceptable to all.
Create networks of professionals to exchange lessons learnt and experiences and
support forums for consultation between political parties, the civil society and the
EMB.
CDES Cameroon’s electoral credibility program aims
to establish a culture within which professionalism
and integrity prevails in the management of electoral
processes in Cameroon. To accomplish this we carry
out the following:
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Conduct advocacy and education of legislative organs and the judiciary for electoral
reforms.
Promote the inclusion of women, youths and the underrepresented and empower
them at all levels of the democracy and electoral process.
Monitor the conduct of election to ensure its compliance with international and
national legal instruments.
b. Good Governance.
The organization’s good governance program fosters institutions both public and private to be
responsive and accountable to their audience, enhancing community trust and encourages
elected leaders to be confident in their duties. In so doing, we:
Train elected leaders on the principles underlining and leading to decision making
and their legislative responsibility to ensure a progressive and consistent
development of communities.
Establish networks of elected local leaders to exchange their knowledge and support
each other in the accomplishment of their duties and making leaders to be savants
not rulers.
Build the capacity of local Council staff to effective deliver public services in a
participatory and accountable manner.
c. Civic Participation
Civic engagement is an essential ingredient in democracy
and the key to making smart, creative decisions that allow
communities to flourish today and excel at the challenges
of tomorrow. We recognize that the vibrancy of our
communities is inextricably tied to the health of the
opportunities for deliberation and dialogue. Citizens’
participation remains the corner stone of any stable,
vibrant community and essential to rebuilding local
economies, creating jobs and improving people’s lives.
Our initiatives in this domain are focused on:
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Carryout civic and voter education / information programs to all segments of
society.
Support the hosting of town hall meetings between citizens and local councils
enhancing dialogue with providers and beneficiaries of public services.
Facilitate participatory governance in the conceptualization, planning,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of community development initiatives
and promoting sustainability of such initiatives.
Build the capacity of youth leaders in public engagement ensuring and enhancing
their leadership and active participation in decision making.
4.2. HUMAN RIGHTS
Our human rights program seeks to defend all rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and other international and national human rights instruments and challenge
institutions to investigate and bring justice to any abuse of these rights. We affirm the universal
respect for inalienable rights and fundamental freedoms of each and every person, including
the principles of the prohibition against arbitrary detention, the right to due process and other
civil and political rights as well as social, cultural and economic rights especially to the
vulnerable, underrepresented and less privileged. In achieving this task, CDES Cameroon
established two programs; Rights to gender equality, youth civil protection and the protection
of disability and minority rights.
a. Right to Gender Equality and Youth Civil Protection.
CDES Cameroon acknowledges the numerical value of
women and youths in societies and the prevalence of
abuses and lack of representation faced by both women
and youths in daily life. We confirm that without
enhancing the rights to equality in our legal, administrative
and democratic or political system, inclusive and
sustainable development cannot be achieved. To establish
a platform were rights are respected and protected; the
organization defined the following priorities:
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Educating women and youths on their rights as enshrined in UDHR, ICCPR, CEDAW,
ICESCR and all other international and national instruments available to enhance
equality and protections of rights.
Empower women and youths to get engaged and create networks to support their
peers and foster the understanding of their rights and obligations as key members of
society.
Build capacities of female leaders to act as role models in enhancing the role of
women in decision-making and community development.
b. Protection of Disability and Minority Rights
Over 12% of Cameroon’s citizens are disabled with none represented in the legislature and less
than 2% at local government levels. CDES Cameroon believes that these segments of the
population deserve to be integrated and protected for lasting development and social peace
and stability to be attained. Our goal towards a Rights Based Perspective on Disability and
minority is focused on:
5. HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2012 – 2013
In line with the organization’s vision, mission, objectives and programs, we were able to not
only reach a significant audience in 2013 but also achieved remarkable outcomes and impact in
Creating and supporting disability networks and
empowering them to become active in public life.
Offering electoral and leadership training
opportunities for prospective candidates with
disabilities during elections on key topics in the
democratic and electoral process.
Advocate and sensitize the legislature and the public
on the need to institutionalize and implement all
international conventions and national laws favoring
PWDs and the minority.
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
our work last year. Being an election year, our programs were defined to promote inclusiveness
and enhance electoral credibility throughout the electoral process. Despite our limited
resources, we were able to accomplish and achieve the goals of our program. Below are the
accomplishments of 2013.
a. Record Number of Women in Cameroon’s Legislature and Local Government.
Our trainings and advocacy initiatives on gender mainstreaming in the electoral process was
recognized by Elections Cameroon, the body charged with organizing and managing the
conduct of elections in Cameroon to take administrative measures back by law to integrate
gender rules in the candidate nomination process, the selection of poll workers and gender
friendly media guidelines. Our elections and gender program had the following impact:
A remarkable increase in female candidature
nomination files and a 45% away from 29% in
2007 acceptance of female candidature files for
legislative and municipal elections.
A record 32% are in Cameroon’s legislature and
over 25% in local councils as a result of our join
efforts alongside other stakeholders to support
women.
Our female campaign tools distributed using all
forms of media outlets in support of women
candidates attracted fund raising for female
candidates and built their confidence in taken
the race.
Political parties are now aware of the
importance of integrating women in the
democratic and electoral process.
Special guidelines implemented by the
election body to facilitate voting processes
for female voters and increase in the number
of female poll workers and presiding officers.
CDES Cameroon Workshop to engage women in
the 2013 general elections in Cameroon
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
b. Engaged Youths in Safeguarding Electoral Integrity
Within the framework of promoting youth civic participation, CDES Cameroon trained and
engaged youth leaders in preventing and denouncing all forms of electoral malpractice and to
participate responsibly before, during and after Election Day and the publication of results. The
goals of this program were achieved in the following ways:
c. Professionalized Media Reporting during the 2013 Elections.
Media plays an inevitable role in building public trust, preventing violence, promoting
transparency, educating and informing voters / public, and making democratic contests more
competitive. Media practitioners’ convey vital information to citizens that attracts public
scrutiny of democratically elected leaders thereby promoting responsive democracy and good
governance. Our 2013 program, to build the capacity of over 40 media practitioners’ in
collaboration with the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ) was
timely given that 2013 was an election year and the first time biometric voter registration was
introduced in Cameroon. This initiative had the following impact:
Practitioners understood electoral reporting based on the electoral cycle approach
covering every aspect in the process using different tools that targeted all segments
of the society.
Reduced incidence of youth participation in
electoral fraud in the South West and North
West Regions.
Increased youth participation as candidates
and poll workers.
Violent free elections safeguarded nationwide
through zero electoral violence campaign using
posters, banners and social media.
Increased participation of youths as electoral
watchdogs and monitors nationwide.
CDES Youth engagement workshop
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
d. Engaged Participation of Political Party Agents.
CDES Cameroon believed that the most important watchdogs in an election are the contestants
themselves or their representatives at various phases of the electoral process. However,
reports had proven that political party or candidate representatives lacked the skills and
knowledge of the core concepts of being an election watchdog, undermined monitoring
methodologies, feedbacks and reporting to the best interest of the contestants.
Practitioners more aware of the legal
framework governing the conduct of elections,
reducing media misinterpretation of legal
provisions.
Reporting was timely, accurate and fair based
on professional investigation of facts and
permitted voters to make informed choices and
aided the resolution of operational setbacks.
Campaign platforms in non-state media were
conducted in compliance with international
standards and in conformity with the law.
The success achieved resulted in the signing of
a Memorandum of understanding between
CDES Cameroon and CAMASEJ for continuous
capacity building of its members
.
The Electoral Integrity Project also
focused on hosting a Training of
Trainers (TOT) workshop which
remarkably produced the expected
impact as detailed below.
CDES empowering media practitioners’
CDES Trains Political Party Agents of Conduct of 2013
Polls
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
Party agents arrived polling stations on time with necessary checklists and
documentation.
Opening of polling was conducted on time in most cases with little discrepancies.
Operational failures and misconduct were reported timely and mitigated in
compliance with legal provisions.
Codes of conducts were respected and polling procedures adhered to in the majority
of the polling stations were trained party agents were present.
Closing and counting procedures were conducted in accordance with legal
provisions.
e. Production of a Critical Election Observation Report.
Citizen monitors under the under CDES Cameroon’s Citizen Election Observation Mission (CDES
CEOM) were trained and deployed nationwide to monitor and assess the conduct of the 2013
polls while a core team was stationed in CDES’s office to ensure coordination, data / report
collection and analysis. The CDES CEOM published its preliminary statement of the polls and
produced its final report on the conduct of the elections in November 2013 in a press
conference. The report which can be accessed on our website accomplished the mission of:
Making an assessment of the political and electoral
context in which the elections took place.
Recorded observations during the different phases
of the electoral process; the failures and successes.
Reported critical incidences in all regions that could
have altered the results in some constituencies.
Commended on limitations in the legal and
institutional framework governing the conduct of
elections in Cameroon notably campaign financing
and media access, independence of the EMB and
the electoral system.
Provided recommendations to all key stakeholders
in the electoral process.
CDES Press Briefing on its Observations
African Union Observers Visited and Encouraged CDES Cameroon
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
f. Successful Installation of a Democracy and Elections Library
g. Membership / Affiliation in International Networks
In recognition of CDES Cameroon’s work and programs, the organization was admitted in
different international networks to share its works and knowledge on different topics in the
fields of democracy and elections. We became members of the following networks:
The World Movement for Democracy (WMD)
The Global Network of Domestic Election Monitors (GNDEM)
The Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB)
The World Association of Non Governmental Organizations (WANGO)
CSO Observer Status with the African Union Commission.
The membership in these networks and organization is an indication of CDES Cameroon’s
engagement in promoting excellence in the management of democratic, governance and
election processes.
Libraries are essential in upgrading knowledge
and making research on comparative analysis
and lessons learnt. An average of 5 persons a
day make use of this facility the majority of
whom are students, EMB staff and civil society
advocates. The increased usage is a testimony
of the impact it has on stakeholders.
Publications in CDES Library
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
6. PEOPLE TELLING OUR STORY
It was like a dream come true when my name was read as a Mayor. A dream I never imagined I
could achieve because of the difficult barriers women face in our present society. Thanks to your
constant support, trainings and mentorship, many women including myself were able to assemble
the required documentation to submit a candidature file on time, raise funds for campaigns and
finally got elected as members of parliament, mayors and local councilors.
CDES Cameroon instilled courage and trusts in me and permitted me to reach out to electors using
different platforms. I want to thank CDES Cameroon for your advocacy and the loud voice in
enhancing the integration of women in the electoral process in Cameroon.
I share the feeling and appreciation of many women who are today front liners in our legislature
and local governments. We continue to count on your support in the accomplishment of our duties.
It was almost impossible to think that election management is a process not an event until I few
months ago when I got admitted as an intern with your organization. I learnt many thing words cannot
express. The trainings, capacity building, education and sensitization projects I participated in gave me
a broad view of what it takes to make democracy work. My time with CDES can never be forgotten.
Your work has given hope to many and Cameroonians are beginning to have trust in the power of the
civil society.
With limited funds, sometimes from your pockets, you caused great change and impacted the way
people view elections in Cameroon. It was a privilege to work with you all and I encourage you to
continue the good works.
Deputy Mayor
City of Buea, Cameroon
TEMBONG Ernestine
To CDES Cameroon
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CDES CAMEROON ANNUAL REPORT 2013
7. OUR GRATITUDE
The road to these accomplishments wouldn’t have been possible without the financial, material
and moral support of many organizations and companies to wish we have addressed our
appreciation following our organizational policy. The Advisory Board and Management team of
CDES Cameroon wish to express the organization’s vote of thanks to you all.
We also thank the hundreds of participants who attended our trainings and capacity
development programs in 2013. We are proud of you all because you implemented what you
learnt and exchanged in a way that caused positive change, built trust and confidence in the
mindset of citizens.
Finally, CDES Cameroon wishes to express its gratitude to Elections Cameroon (EMB) for its
policy orientation in integrating women in the electoral process and encourage the institution
to continue to establish trust, dialogue and partnership with all key stakeholders in the
electoral process.
8. A CALL FOR ACTION
CDES Cameroon is a nonprofit organization whose programs and goals accomplished are
implemented based on donations from individual, organizations and companies. We value the
contributions of all and in any form to reach out to as many as possible and cause positive
changes in societies.
In 2014, CDES Cameroon will engage to making local governance effective, work with local
community leaders, newly elected mayors to foster participatory governance and propel local
development and promoting accountability. We hope to build the leadership capacities of the
women and institute a road map to ensure women are consistently promoted in decision-
making positions at all level of public life. We also look forward to educating youths on their
civic responsibilities in nation building.
The accomplishment of these initiatives would not be possible without your support. We accept
all forms of support and account for its usage to all supporters. To assist in any of our programs
please visit www.cdescameroon.org or email [email protected]. You can also make
donations directly in to our bank account. Please feel free to call us at +237 3335 1079 or +237
3302 7335 for more information. Thank you in advance for helping us meet our goal.
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