Constitutional Council Declares Its Incompetence To Dissolve CPDM

Emmanuel KENDEMEH
[18/04/2008]

The President of the Action for Meritocracy and Equal Opportunities (AMEC) lodged three complaints at the Council.

The Supreme Court sitting for the Constitutional Council, yesterday 17 April ruled on complaints, Joachim Tabi Owono, President of the AMEC lodged calling on the Council to cancel the bill to amend and supplement some provisions of the law of 18 January 1996 to amend the 2 June 1972 Constitution, dissolve the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) and sentence President Paul Biya.

The First President of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Alexis Dipanda Mouelle presided over the public hearings at the Supreme Court room. Tabi Owono called on the Supreme Court sitting in for the Constitutional Council to declare null and void, the bill amending the 1996 Constitution (which was last April 14 promulgated into law by the President of the Republic).In the same light, he wanted the Council to declare the National Assembly incompetent to examine and adopt the bill amending the Constitution. He however, insisted that the 1996 Constitution be maintained and implemented completely, and urgently without selecting specific sections. Dipanda Mouelle, in his verdict, considered the complaint inadmissible by the Constitutional Council.

The Constitutional Council declared itself incompetent to rule on the complaint on the dissolution of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), Tabi Owono accused of being guilty of violating the constitution and rebellion against State institutions. According to Tabi Owono, the CPDM is illegal for it has not been registered as a political party. Professor Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo, one of the representatives of the CPDM at the hearings said, on 24 March 1985 in Bamenda, the Cameroon National Union (CNU) was merely transformed into the CPDM. The Constitutional Council, according to the First President of the Supreme Court was incompetent to dissolve the CPDM because, according to the law, only militants of a political party can dissolve it as well as the administration.

The First President of the Supreme Court equally declared the Constitutional Council incompetent to rule on Tabi Owono’s complaint seeking that the Council sentences President Paul Biya for high treason. He accused President Biya of abusive use of power, human rights violation and staging a constitutional coup d’ Etat. The Constitutional Council, the Supreme Court First President said, was incompetent to rule on the case because following the constitution, only the Court of Impeachment can judge the President of the Republic for high treason against the State.

After the court session, Tabi Owono told journalists, “we respect the decisions of the Cameroonian court. We are very grateful that the case was examined and we think this is good for democracy”.


Source: Pa Fru Ndeh via camnetwork@yahoogroups.com