Greetings to you all my fellow content creators and audience in general. I am here with my entry for the Steemit Engagement Challenge Season 5 Week 1 as always. I will be writing on the topic Elections In My Country. I'll like to use this opportunity to invite some persons @chant, @richard-p, @patjewell, @adriancabrera, @moer, @wesley0, @growwithme, @skmillion, @sahmie, @simonnwigwe, @beautiful12, and @rafk to come partake in this contest.

In my country Cameroon, elections are done by means of exercising our franchise via casting of votes on a national level, to get the head head of state (the president). This office has a 7 years mandate which can be retained by the outgoing president if he emerges victorious once more, after votes are carried out. There is no limit to how many times a member can go in for this office. It wasn't so, at first, a maximum of 2 terms was the limit, but a parliamentary vote in April 2008 made it unlimited. Cameroon is a democratic country and the Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) party has been in power since 1985, with president Paul Biya as head of state. Today, we have so many parties that go in for election, however they do not stand a chance against the ruling party (CPDM). Even though individuals can go in for this office, it is not head of, since the legal requirements makes it quite hard for it to be carried out.
So far, the governance hasn't been the best, neither has it been the worst if i must say. I just believe that some personnel are being greedy at some point in time.

We (Cameroon) have a single method of election via which the ballot boxes are used by voters. Even though we are said to have a separate organization that handle vote counts unbiasedly, it is worth noting that this electoral body by name ELECAM (Elections Cameroon) was formed by the government, and the government has been dominated by the CPDM party (the ruling party) for so long. Elections are said to have been carried out freely and fair enough over the electoral years.

To be eligible for casting of votes as an abiding citizen of my beloved country Cameroon, you must be of adult age (at least 18 years old). Truth be told, i have never participated in electoral activities since a 7 years mandate is quite a lot to wait for the next elections. I was of age when the most recent electoral exercise for head of state presented itself in 2018, but the security unrest in the Northwest and Southwest regions didn't permit me exercise my franchise 😪.
Watching the broadcast on my television set, i could see that the halls (poll stations) were crowded with watchmen to ensure a smooth and fair enough election. Security personnel were also placed at strategic spots to ensure the security of all voters. Vote counts were also taken from verified citizens that are out of the country, hereby giving everyone the opportunity to partake in the electoral exercise.

Like i said in the my answer to the previous question, i have never participated in the electoral exercise in my country. The 7 years mandate made it difficult since all those who can partake in elections must be of adult age (at least 18 years old).
Now, if i were to rate the most recent election process which was in 2018, i'd say that the process and conditions in the English speaking regions (Northwest and Southwest) was quite scary and polling stations were almost empty, especially in the Northwest region. In the French speaking regions, the electoral process went on smoothly as though there was no security unrest in some regions of the country. I would say that the process wasn't the best at all.

Some members in parliament are appointed by the head of state, hereby still making the government centralized even though having some patches of decentralization. For example, the prime minister and cabinet members are appointed by the head of state. From the constitutional amendment made in 2008, we can see the consequences of such actions of appointments of members by the head of state. Ain this said amendment, the the presidential term limits was voted out (in favour of an indefinite run) and the country's president granted immunity for acts executed while in power. In a way, it means that any decision made while in power stands and he can't be held answerable to them even after leaving office.

As such, i would strongly suggest that all occupants to offices in the government be inducted after a smooth and fair enough election, and not by mere appointments from those in power (like the head of state). This would truly promote the decentralized governance which is said to exist.

To be honest, i do not want the said form of governance to change per say, however i would so much like that it is done the way it ought to be done. There are so many tricky changes that makes the system reflect that of a Monarch, whereas it is a Democratic system. Also, the term of mandate for the office of head of state is quite huge. So many dedicated citizens are filled with relevant and new ideas to build the country.
I also realized that the old people don't want to retire despite the retirement age clearly noted. This increases the rate of unemployment day in day out.

In spite of all these shortcomings exhibited by the governance system in my country Cameroon, i am proud to be a Cameroonian. Yes our president has been in power for so long and he is the oldest head of state personnel in the world right now, but he has also done some good things during the better part of his years. I believe the problem now is misuse of funds and inadequate message transmitted, since he (the head of state) is less vibrant now compared to his early years.