Today, S&D MEPs (Carlos Zorrinho, Maria Noichl, Norbert Neuser, Hannes Heide and Juozas Olekas), all members of the EU-African-Caribbean-Pacific Joint Parliamentary Assembly (EU-ACP JPA), participated in a fruitful meeting organised by Maria Arena with Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroun (MRC), in Cameroon. The political support to the S&Ds sister party and a full commitment for dialogue and transparent elections have been reiterated as the ‘conditio sine qua non’ for the stabilisation and the growth of the country.
S&D and EU-ACP JPA member, Maria Arena, stated:
“The only way forward to create the conditions to eradicate violence and consolidate a durable and shared peace in Cameroon is by holding transparent, free and credible elections, where opposition parties, such as the Mouvement pour la Renaissance du Cameroun (MRC), can freely register and campaign.
“This has not been possible neither for the previous presidential elections nor for the local and legislative elections that will take place on 9 February. Without the release of all political prisoners and changes in the electoral code, it is not possible to guarantee free and fair elections. This is the reason why we urge authorities and the governing party in Cameroon to ensure these conditions be respected.
“The EU and the whole international community are also concerned by the growing spiral of violence in the Anglophone regions and stand ready to assist the peacebuilding process. We call on the Cameroonian authorities to do their utmost to uphold their political and international obligations.”
