Commonwealth Expert Team Issues Final Report On 2013 Legislative and Municipal Elections in Cameroon

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma today released the Final Report of the Commonwealth Expert Team that observed the 30 September 2013 Legislative and Municipal Elections in Cameroon.

In issuing the report, Mr Sharma said: "The Commonwealth Expert Team found that the election campaign and polling day were largely peaceful, with commendable effort made to meet benchmarks for democratic elections. I welcome the Team's report, and am pleased that consistent Commonwealth engagement with ELECAM has had a positive impact on its ability to manage the election process.

The Secretary-General added: "I am pleased the new biometric registration marked a substantial improvement in the transparency and credibility of the electoral process. However I note that there remain shortcomings in relation to the distribution and collection of biometric voters' cards which need to be addressed for future elections.

"The Commonwealth stands ready to assist Cameroon to address such problems and in further strengthening its democratic process," Mr Sharma concluded.