The Roman Catholic Church through the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon is longing for peace before, during and after the 2011 presidential election. In a Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of Cameroon on the occasion of the 2011 presidential election presented during a press conference in Yaounde, Friday, July 22, the Catholic Church makes pertinent recommendations. The President of the National Episcopal Conference, Bishop Joseph Atanga chaired the press conference.

Registration

"Each ballot is a stone brought for the building of the well-being of all. To abstain from voting is to harm the life of the nation", the Bishops declare in the Pastoral Letter. They call on all Cameroonians of voting age to register for the election and take an active part in the public life of the country and its construction through voting. The Catholic Church appeals to members of the committees in charge of the revision of electoral registers and administrative authorities to work together to issue freely and within the shortest possible time, national identity cards and voter registration cards. The Bishops in the letter, advise against all forms of harassments. "We exhort all Cameroonians not to succumb to the temptation of those who believe and proclaim before elections that 'the die is cast' and it is therefore useless to vote", the Bishops stated. The church believes that "The single ballot would better protect the validity of the polls".

Political Parties, Candidates

The Church advises political, administrative, civil and traditional authorities to work together for the maintenance of peace and the conduct of fair and transparent elections. Political parties and presidential candidates on their part, have to respect the electoral process, preserve peace, uphold the interest of the Cameroonian people. As such, they have to see themselves as competitors and not enemies. The Bishops recommended that law enforcement and military officers should safeguard honour and loyalty to the country and its institutions, protect the population and their property and maintain political neutrality inherent in their duties.

Guaranteeing Peace

The Catholic Church calls for prayer sessions for peace and social dialogue in the country. The functioning of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) should be flawless for a smooth electoral process, the Bishops recommend. They want the public and private media to be objective, responsible in disseminating information and also to be aware of the dangers the manipulation of public opinion can cause. National and international election observers should make objective and neutral reports and the international community should respect the sovereignty of Cameroon and maintain neutrality in its electoral process. The Church also wants a fair distribution of public subsidies, convicted embezzlers to pay back public funds and the money reinvested in development projects. The Catholic Church will want the effective implementation of article 66 of the Constitution on the declaration of assets and property.