A Guide To Effective Political Communication in Cameroon: Running For Office

A Guide to Effective Political Communication in Cameroon
Running for Office

A Guide to Effective Political
Communication in Cameroon
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Running for Office

A Guide to Effective Political
Communication in Cameroon
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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by print,

photocopy, microfilm or any other means without written permission
from the publisher.
- by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Yaound (Cameroun), 2012.
Tl. 00 237 22 21 29 96 / 00 237 22 21 52 92
B.P. 11 939 Yaound / Fax : 00 237 22 21 52 74
E-mail : [email protected]
Site : http://www.fes-kamerun.org
Situe Face Ambassade de Russie, Bastos.
ISBN 978 9956-0-9220-8
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Foreword
Conducting a political campaign in Cameroon with very little

money is almost impossible. Without resources or the back-
ing of an established political force, people with leadership
potentials have little chance of getting elected. Sad, but it
appears that those who flaunt their wealth during campaigns
are usually better positioned to win elections.
At the losing end are usually those who cannot afford to do
expensive campaigning, usually women, the youth and the
physically handicapped, even when their messages are good
enough and they may have the possibility to succeed.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) has for some time now, fol-
lowed this trend in many African countries. As part of efforts
to make political leadership not the preserve of the elite,
the FES Office in Ghana conducted a study in collaboration
with Elephantlogic, a strategic consultancy firm specialized
in campaigning, and came up with a publication on how to
campaign and win elections with a low budget.
As the messages of this publication apply very well in other
settings, FES Cameroon Office decided to produce a Camer-
oon version of the Guide, to encourage candidates from all
political parties during the forthcoming electoral exercises to
have an issue-based campaign. Thanks to the collaboration
with STRATEGIES! Consulting Firm, who contextualized the
content to the Cameroonian realities, we are now able to
present a Cameroon version of the Guide.
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This Guide, divided into five modules, primarily looks at the

various simple ways to organise campaigns that will cost very
little money. The first module looks at the voters and the
constituency. It details how to analyse your constituency and
even your competitors. Module two the message, discusses
how to couch your message to whip up support throughout
the campaign period and the need to be consistent. Module
three looks at resources: human and material, and outlines
some suggestions on least expensive campaigning. Illustra-
tions are included to simplify the ideas and suggestions. In
module four; running your Campaign the different forms of
campaigning for urban and rural target groups are discussed.
The fifth and final module is on the D-Day and lays emphasis
on protecting your votes as well as learning lessons from
campaigns and elections.
This Guide is practical, based on the experiences of cam-
paign managers and is intended to help anyone with the
desire to stand for elections whether local, parliamentary
or presidential.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Cameroon Office would like to
express its ardent hope that this guide be used to enhance
the quality of campaigning and to contribute to a more vivid
democratic life in Cameroon.
Enjoy reading and thank you for your feedback!
Mirko Herberg
Resident Representative,
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Cameroon and Central Africa
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Content
Foreword............................................................................5
Content..............................................................................7
How do I use the Guide? Usage Instructions.................9
Module I : The Voters and the Constituency....................13
Analysis of the Constituency...............................................13
Topics and Target Groups...................................................15
Who are my Competitors?.................................................18
Checklist......................................................................20
Module II : The Message.....................................................21
The Election Campaign Pledge Card..................................24
Enthuse People ..................................................................25
Conveying Messages............................................................26
Tell Stories............................................................................27
Target Groups.......................................................................31
Additional Target Groups....................................................34
Checklist.............................................................................35
Module III : People to Work With....................................37
Who is my Team?..............................................................37
Organise Advocates and Supporters.................................40
The Chiefs and traditional rulers.......................................42
Checklist............................................................................42
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Module IV : Running your Campaign...............................43

Campaign methods..............................................................43
Campaigning in Urban and Rural Areas .............................. 53
The role of the Media ..................................................... 55
Campaign and Budget ..........................................................56
Checklist.....................................................................59
Module V : On the D-Day...................................................61
Protecting your votes.........................................................61
How to communicate in case of irregularities..................62
Learning lessons from campaign and elections.................63
Elected! What now?.........................................................64
Annex...................................................................................67
Tips and Examples..............................................................67
Pledge Card Example..........................................................67
Example of a Uniform Layout.............................................68
Example of a planning calendar.........................................70
Practical Tips on Writing a Press Release..........................75
Some laws and regulations on political communication
in Cameroon ....................................................................... 77
Bibliography ................................................................... 77
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Look at the people around you

and talk about the things
that are really important to you.
How do I use the Guide ?

Usage Instructions
The decision to stand as candidate for a political office is no

doubt one of the most important decisions you can make in
your life. Why? Because a candidacy has far-reaching implica-
tions for you personally and most certainly for your family
and friends as well.
It is really important to think things through before becom-

ing a candidate! In your candidacy, you will have many
different types of friends - people who appreciate you and
support you in an honest, straightforward manner, people
who always stand behind you, even if you make a mistake
some time or another, or when they notice that you cannot
win the election, and people who support you because they
have ulterior motives. You will especially notice which friends
and acquaintances are honest with you and which ones are
not when you stand for election as a candidate. There will
be people who respect you even though they have political
opinions which dier from yours. However, there will also
be people, who are hostile towards you. You will have to
endure this as well and be able to cope with it. Having dif-
ferent opinions is part of democracy.
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You will experience all kinds of things in your campaign. You

will have both good experiences and bad ones. And you will
have many emotional ups and downs every day, for weeks
and months. You have to be able to endure this as well and
be sure that in spite of this, you maintain your positive traits
and do not lose sight of your strengths.
So before you read this Guide and plunge into the practical
preparation for your campaign, you should think through
why you want to stand as candidate. It may be helpful to
take out a sheet of paper and jot down all of the reasons
why you think standing for election is a good idea and why
it is not. Examine your thoughts closely and honestly! Look
at this sheet of paper every now and then and think about
whether the arguments in favour of outweigh the rea-
sons against. Discuss the reasons for a candidacy with your
family and friends! They might have additional ideas which
are important in making your decision. You will need a lot
of support from them. That is why you should make sure
you include them in your decision-making.
Before you stand for election, you should speak with women
and men who have already served as candidates (success-
fully or unsuccessfully) in your region in the past. They can
report on their experience at firsthand and you will see
how valuable this is.
It is also good that you read the various laws and decrees
regulating elections in Cameroon in general, and political
communication in particular. Your understanding of the
legal environment will help you navigate safely across your
campaign.
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How do I use the Guide ?
This Guide will provide you with a lot of tips and ideas on
things you need to take into account in a candidacy and in
a campaign. It is based on plenty of experience in the con-
ception and organisation of electoral campaigns.
However, every election campaign is unique! The worst

thing one can say in a campaign is: that is the way we
have always done things! No campaign is the same as any
other one, no discussion has already taken place once before,
every individual wants to be perceived and addressed in a
unique way. For this reason, this Guide is not a general or
patent recipe for all election campaigns. It offers you tips,
checklists and some ideas to think about. But you yourself
have to carry out the campaign. Nobody can assume this
responsibility for you.
Again, planning is no
doubt important, but
you will recognise in
the course of the cam- Always keep a small notebook
paign that there are a with you in which you can record
lot of things you had your experiences in the campaign
not thought about and every day. Jot down what you have
you will learn more learnt on the particular day. A
and more with every crucial prerequisite for success in
passing day. Planning any election campaign is the ability
and flexibility will be of the strongest individual in your
important elements for campaign to learn. And that indivi-
dual is you the candidate!!!
you in every campaign
you do.
This Guide has a modular structure. You can read it from the
beginning to the end. Each of the module is structured the
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same way: they begin with a short introduction, then examine

important points in depth and end with a checklist. Additional
tips on work resources are presented in the annex.
We hope that this Guide will help you in making your decision
to stand for elections (or perhaps sometimes not to stand),
that it will support you in your campaign organisation and
that it will also be fun for you to read sometimes.
When you begin an election campaign, you will be lacking

many things: time, money, sometimes the energy to deal
with stress. There will be no shortage of one thing sug-
gestions. Scarcely a day will go by on which real and false
friends dont make suggestions. More often than you think,
you will not know which ones you should listen to and which
ones you should not. If you do not know exactly in which
category you should place someone who makes suggestions
to you, the best thing to do is look closely at people and
talk to them about what is important to you.
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Module I :
The Voters and the Constituency
How do I analyse the Constituency? You know your constitu-

ency. Do you really know it?
Before you start the actual campaign, you should get a

precise picture of your constituency.
You must know its geography.
You must know the history of the constituency.
You must understand special aspects of the regional
culture.
You must know what the biggest political challenges are
in the region.
You must find out who the most important opinion-leaders
in the constituency are.
If you want to win this constituency, everyone must get the
message and know it inside and out.
Analysis of the Constituency
Obtain good maps of your constituency. You may obtain them

from the council of your constituency or from Community
Based organizations or Civil Society organizations working
in the area. Look at the special attributes of the landscape,
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nature, roads and paths, villages and towns very closely and
go over it in your mind again and again. You will encounter
voters who expect you to know these things. Moreover, pre-
cise knowledge of local conditions is an important prerequisite
in the logistic planning of your campaign.
Another key step is to obtain all available data on voting be-

haviour to date and analyse it in detail. By the same token, it
is important to see where the strongest bastions of your party
and those of the competition are. It is especially interesting
to find out whether there are groups of new voters who
are yet to take part in any elections who can be addressed.
Perhaps there are people among your friends or family who
like to analyse statistics and can help you in your analysis.
This analysis will help you allocate your time and energy
effectively.
Where are the people who traditionally vote for your
party in elections? Their districts definitely have to be
addressed on a continuous basis. You have to make sure
that there is a high voter turnout in these traditional
bastions of support.
Where are the bastions of the political competition? It
does not make sense to invest too much time and energy
in districts which traditionally vote for the competitors. If
there is no reason whatsoever to believe that anything
major will change here, it is better to use ones time in
a more intelligent manner.
Where can undecided voters be found? Especially in un
decided constituencies, the so-called swing voters decide
the result. These are perhaps only 2- 3% of the voters.
Whoever wins these votes usually wins the constituency.
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The Voters and the Constitution
Find out about whether there are certain districts in

your constituency in which there have been considerable
fluctuations in voting in the past.
Find out which districts a large number of new citizens
have moved into.
Find out where primarily young voters can be directly
addressed.
In addition to the analysis you can also think about whether

you know someone who has been living in your constituency
for a long time and who can tell you a lot, for example about
old stories and myths. Perhaps there is a member of an old
established family among your friends and acquaintances,
who is familiar with these things. Try to find out whether
your party has had a candidate in the past who can help
you with his/ her knowledge.
Topics and Target Groups
Certain topics and problems in your constituency are es-

pecially important. These should be assigned an important
place in your electoral platform and you should address these
repeatedly in your campaign. List the most important target
groups in your constituency and think about which of your
goals are shared by these groups. This will help you make
an initial priority list of the most important target groups in
your campaign.
The second step is to compare this list with the information

which you have been able to obtain on results of past elec-
tions. Nobody achieves the target group of all.
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At any rate it is a good idea to decide which groups you want

to reach with which arguments at a reasonable expense in
terms of time and money.
You must repeatedly discuss this with your electoral team so

that they can also plan properly. When you have decided on
certain target groups for example small business people
(such as taxi drivers/motor taxi owners/market women) it
is very helpful for representatives of these groups to work
on your campaign team and also make it clear to the public
that they support you. Perhaps there are well-known repre-
sentatives of the target group in your constituency who can
publicly announce that they are supporting you.
There is no doubt a large number of target groups in your

constituency. And you will not be able to win all their votes,
but it is worth thinking about whether certain target groups
can also influence other target groups. Think about to what
extent certain groups solely by virtue of their profession
enjoy a high level of respect and/or influence. This is defi-
nitely not only the case with teachers and doctors, but also
sellers at markets. They speak with a lot of people every
day. There are target groups which are very grateful when
one addresses them personally. It is worth thinking about
which special information material or advertising resources
you have and how to use them effectively. Talk to people
who have been active in the target groups in past election
campaigns to find out what experience they have had. What
functioned well and what did not? Speak with persons of
trust from the target group, as they will no doubt be able to
give you many tips. Think about whether there are certain
materials or give-aways which fit particularly well with the
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everyday working lives of this target group and which would

therefore be gladly received (e.g. pens).
Can I Organise Target-group Events?
Sometimes one is invited by organisations of a target group

(youth organizations, womens organisations, fishermen, etc.),
but this generally occurs less frequently than desired. Just
organise such an event yourself! One often finds that the
target group reacts very positively because no candidate has
taken the initiative before.
The selection of the key target groups is one of the most

important decisions you have to make in this campaign. Your
crucial two or three target groups must among other things fit
together and reinforce each other. You must make sure that
you do not promise everyone everything and thus, appear
to be arbitrary and lacking integrity in terms of your politi-
cal profile. The main interests of your most important target
groups should complement and reinforce each other.
In order to clearly identify the concerns and areas of interest

of the various target groups, do not hesitate to spend time
with them in their daily environments and working areas,
to discuss with them and encourage them to share their
thoughts. You may request to attend their meetings, or invite
them to a discussion with you. But you need to clearly indicate
the purpose of your visit and respect the timing suggested,
as this shows greater respect for their activities. Prepare your
questions up-front, and make sure someone from your team
takes down all what is said. It will certainly be useful later,
in defining your message for these groups.
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Who are my Competitors?
Candidates from the same party
It may be the case that you have to go through an internal

pre-election procedure to win the nomination of your party.
There are internal party rules which have to be respected in
these nomination procedures.
In a nomination procedure it is important to always keep

two things in mind at the same time:
You want to win the majority in the party for the nomi-
nation while at the same time during this internal party
procedure you have to keep in mind that this internal
contest will also be followed by your future voters and
they will gain an initial impression of you. In addition,
this party nomination procedure should be conducted
in such a manner that the winner and loser can carry
out the electoral campaign together afterwards.
That is why you should also talk about your own ex-
periences and argue about concrete things! Show why
your party has a better chance of succeeding in the con-
stituency if you are its candidate. It is not a good idea to
put down competitors in order to win the nomination.
It is better to show people that you interact with your
opponent in a confident but fair manner. This conveys
security, integrity and trust.
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Candidates of other Parties Political Opponents
You should devote most of your time and energy to explaining

your own platform and your own message, but you must of
course also address the platform of your opponents.
It is common approach to have a member of your campaign

team who monitors the political opponent and finds out
whether there is any new information.
Voters want to be able to recognise the dierences be-

tween the parties and candidates. They want to know
what their stance is towards their issues and interests. It is
also a democratic obligation for candidates to support this
opinion-formation process among voters and make their own
contribution to this process.
This side of the campaign will again and again lead to

situations in which overstatements are made; things are
exaggerated and formulated in pointed terms. Our recom-
mendation, however, is to stick to objective political arguments
in the contest with political opponents. You have a different
opinion, you may dispute and debate issues, you fiercely
contest one another to win the support of the voters. But
you do this by democratic means and there should be fair
competition between democrats. Respect for the opinion
of the other side should never be lost. That is why it is im-
portant to keep discussions objective and not get personal.
Voters observe very closely how candidates interact with one
another and usually turn away from it all when candidates
start mud-slinging.
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Checklist
Analysis of the constituency

a. Look closely at your constituency at the beginning, try
to learn as much as possible about it.
b. Talk with important people who know your constituency
well and for long time.
c. Ask whether you can obtain data on your constituency
(size, population, unemployment rate, number of schools,
etc.).
Your competition
a. Look very closely at the opposing candidates.

b. Write down together with your team what you know about
the candidates and the other parties.
c. Appoint a member from your team to monitor the oppos-
ing candidates during the campaign.
i. What are the promises being made by the opposing
candidates in the campaign?
ii. How is the opposing candidate organising his cam-
paign?
iii. When does he have important dates?
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Module II :
The Message
You want people to vote for you. You want them to place
their trust and confidence in you. They give you part of their
power and energy for a period of time so that you can be at
decision-making level and do something relevant for them.
They send you off on a mission. They trust you. They hope
and expect that you will not forget them, that you will get
things moving for them and then return to them, report
honestly and not leave them alone. They, the citizens living
in your constituency, are the most important for you. Never
forget them and they will support you, lift you up and help
you along when the going gets tough!
That is the way things should be. That is what you want to
achieve and you can achieve it, but it is a long path with
much hard work. Where do I stand now? Where do I want
to go? Write down your goals!
Voters are curious. They will want to know a lot about you,
about your family, how you grew up, about your education,
what you like to eat and what hobbies you have. Above all,
however, they will also want to know why you want to be a
politician. What can you do for them and what do you want
to change and improve?
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And this brings us to your very personal platform and your

personal message:
Think about
what motivates you to engage in politics;
what stages and encounters in your life have shaped
you;
how you want to speak about yourself, your career and
your family and
where you want to draw the borderline to your private
life.
Think about all this and write it down! You will be asked
about these things again and again and it is a good idea
to use your answers so that your future voters can better
understand you and so you can gain their support.
Your party has a platform which you know and which you
can discuss in detail.
But this platform applies to the entire country. You should

prepare a small platform for your constituency! This platform
is your mission, your credo. It describes your plans for the
constituency and is your calling card for the voters. This
will make the differences between you and your political
opponents visible.
Your platform should be specific and concrete. The more

concrete you are, the better voters can assess which can-
didates only speak in general terms and which ones have
fresh specific new ideas for their constituency. Of course
you will be confronted with many demands and you will
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The Message
not be able to satisfy all of them, but rather only a small

part. Perhaps you will be in the fortunate position to help
someone here or there even before the election but that
will be the exception.
And that leads to the question as to whether it is wise to

make lots of promises? No, it is not wise.
No matter whom you ask:

People are sceptical when it comes to politics and politi-
cians.
They have seen many come and go.
Many have spoken to them in glowing terms and have
promised a lot. Very few of them have also only kept a
few of their promises.
With your small personal election platform, you will thus

have to decide:
If you want to do things the way many others do, then
promise everything. You may then perhaps win an election.
But you will not be able to build a permanent, reliable
relationship with your voters in this way. People run into
each other again and again in life and the next time they
will vote for someone who promises even more and who
is new. Voters have a good memory one should never
forget that. They will especially remember the things
which you promise them in a personal discussion and will
resent it if what was promised is not delivered without
an explanation of why it could not be achieved.
If you choose the solid approach and only promise what
you can deliver, you will be able to honestly state in your
campaign what is possible and what is not. This sincerity
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takes courage at the beginning, but you will see: it builds

a very stable foundation for your political work (and your
possible re-election).
You should develop your personal electoral platform together

with your friends, your family and your party, but above all
with the voters in your constituency. When it is finished, it
should not be an endlessly long list. Instead, it should state
five clear-cut, straightforward ideas which you stand for and
are entering into politics to fight for.
The Election Campaign Pledge Card
Sum up your most important goals for the constituency suc-

cinctly. A tried-and-proven method is to print these goals on
a small calling card or an A6 brochure, and hand it out to
voters in order to make your personal goals clear to them.
If you print out a pledge card on two sides, you can place
your photograph, name and address on the opposite side.
You will find an example for the pledge card in the Annex.
This pledge card should be your constant companion in the
electoral campaign. If possible every voter should receive one
because you make an important agreement with voters with
your personal electoral campaign promise tailored to your
constituency. That is why you need to formulate it carefully
and think it through very carefully which promises you want
to make and whether you will be able to meet these in a
five-year period. Many voters but also the political competi-
tion will keep the cards and remind you of your promises
later. It is better, however, to state clearly what you intend
to do and later demonstrate what you have achieved than
to be general and vague.
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The Message
Invite voters to take part in the development of your elec-

toral platform and to get involved. This will help you achieve
two things:
You will make it clear from the very beginning that you
want to involve the voters in the constituency and not
only show your face six months before the elections in
order to get their votes. You are interested in hearing
their opinion. That is very important to you.
Secondly, you make yourself known and introduce your-
self.
Enthuse People
The entire world was impressed with the energy, vitality and
enthusiasm which Barrack Obama instilled in his campaign
in 2008.
Of course conditions in the USA cannot be compared with

any other country in the world. Incredible sums of money
are invested in American election campaigns. A lot of re-
search is performed and no flyer, no poster, no television
advertisement is used without sufficient research. Television
continues to play a very important role and in 2008, the
electoral campaign on the Internet also had a major impact
on the result.
But all this was not the key to the success of Barack Obama.
The key was that he filled people with enthusiasm and was
above all able to convince them to become part of the cam-
paign themselves.
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Enthusiasm, energy, passion, perseverance these are all the

energy reserves which you can tap into in your constituency.
The enthusiasm and the commitment of your comrades in
arms is the most important resource in your campaign in
addition to your own energy and your ideas. By the same
token, respect and humility play a major role. You must always
be aware that you cannot be successful without the enthu-
siasm and energy of your campaign team and your voters.
Always treat your team with respect and act with humility
before voters. Humility in this case means that you must
not be arrogant or impatient if people do not understand
you immediately you want to represent these people in
parliament later or you want to run their local government,
so you must understand them and have patience. They are
your pride; they are the ones who vote for you so that you
can fight for them.
Conveying Messages
You want to win an election in a constituency and this means

that you have to win over more voters than your competitors.
If you are very hard-working, you can talk to thousands of
voters personally in your campaign or they will come to your
campaign rallies. What impression do you want to convey
and what information do you want them to receive?
They will receive a personal impression of you and listen to

you. Above all they will discuss this experience with their
friends, their families or colleagues. Every voter you speak
to or who takes part in a rally can become an ambassador
in your electoral campaign.
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The Message
Imagine that a voter is now supposed to convey a message

for you. If you have told him so much and it was not clear
what is particularly important to you, he will not be able to be
a good ambassador. So before each electoral campaign think
about what your ambassadors should remember. Formulate
short, clear messages which are easy to remember.
Another group of key ambassadors is made up of your friends,

family and team members. They might find themselves in
unexpected situations where people that are aware of their
link with you, question them on your motivation and your
platform. Therefore, it would be good if they have clear
answers that can raise peoples interest.
Tell Stories
Well-founded knowledge is important. But you need to know

all about the major political topics, the current debates on
various fields (social, economy, sports, etc). More important,
you should be able to create the link between what is happen-
ing in your constituency (news items, current development)
and your electoral platform.
You have to be able to explain things. Neither does it hurt to

become acquainted with important facts, for example relating
to economic and social conditions. But in a discussion for
example with other candidates in your constituency it is
usually not the person who relates the most facts who wins,
but rather the one who gains the trust and liking of the
audience. Nevertheless it is important to be competent and
honest. It is also a good idea to find out about ones audi-
ence, to look at them and address them personally.
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The crucial factor, however, is to communicate your ideas and

experiences in stories. There are two reasons for this:
1 First of all, people can remember stories easily.
2 Secondly, each and every topic immediately becomes
more vivid and above all credible if one can link it to
personal experiences.
Here are some examples of how you can embed the topics
which are important to you in a story. You will always have
to find your own method and tune it to your respective audi-
ence. The following three points are always decisive:
Your voters must know what you want and what you
consider to be wrong and right.
Your voters must notice that your conviction is not feigned,
and rather that you have developed it based on your
personal experiences and encounters.
Important Criteria for voters

in a constituency:
Your personality: your attitudes, your experiences,

your relationship with your constituents, your knowledge
of the constituency
Your ideology: the values and principles that guide
you through your choices and actions
Your program: the key issues you intend to address,
their relevance to the constituency.
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The Message
Your voters must understand why your goals should also

be their goals.
Here are a couple of examples of how this can be achieved:
Example 1 - School
This is how not to do it:
The schools in our constituency are in a deplorable
condition. If you elect me, I will make sure that more
is invested in our educational system. If I become your
deputy, I will energetically support the 15-point plan of
my party for better schools in Cameroon.
This is how to do it:

I see a lot of mothers and fathers here. And I know
from my own family how important it is for all of us
that our daughters and sons are well educated, able to
attend good schools in sturdy buildings with good books
and bright teachers. Yesterday I was in [name of town,
village etc.] and I visited the school there. It was in a sorry
state. The teacher, Mr. Onana, told me that he has been
waiting for money to perform the most urgently needed
repairs for three years now. I cannot improve everything
overnight, but I will make sure that Mr. Onana does not
have to wait another three years.
29
Example 2 - Health
The health system is priority number one for me! I will make sure
that three new clinics are built in our constituency and in a few years the
health care here is as good as in the capital.

Which of you have someone in your family who was seriously ill last
year? Raise your hands. Almost everyone! And how many of you were
helped effectively and immediately by doctors and hospitals? I dont see as
many hands. If someone takes ill in your family mother, father, brother
or sister or your own child you worry so much. That is when we need
effective help quickly. That is when we need hospitals which are easy to
reach, doctors who are well trained and have enough medicine. If we want
to achieve that here, we have to fight a long hard battle for it. I want to
fight that battle with your help.
Example 3 - Employment
Vote for me. I will create new jobs for us and will not
forget anyone who supports me. The candidate of the
other party only provides jobs for his supporters. I will
put an end to that.

My parents used to work all day. From early in the
morning until late in the evening. They did not have any
weekends, and usually had to work in the field after their
jobs to get by. As a child I learnt early on what hard work
means. I will not lie to you and simply promise jobs. I do
promise, however, that I will do everything I can to make
sure that men and women who work hard are protected
better, and that young people receive a good education
and training.
30
The Message
Target Groups
Once you have developed your platform, and your main mes-
sage, it is important to adapt it to the various target groups.
Take each of the 5 main topics you intend to address, and
ask yourself:
What does this mean for the market women?
What does this mean for farmers?
What does this mean for people with disabilities?
Illustration I
A market woman showing her support for a candidate
Then, as the specific message needs to get across these

target groups, you need to think about a realistic means to
communicate with them. Tools and methods may vary from
one target group to the other. It is therefore very important
to know the habits of these groups, the places where they
gather, how and when you can talk to them.
31
TYPES OF VOTER TARGETING
There are various ways to target voters. The most

common ones are :
Geographic targeting
o where the candidates live or work
o past voting behavior in various parts of
the district
o turnout in part of the district
Demographic targeting
o look at candidates demographic charac-
teristics (age, gender, profession)
o compare with voters in the district
o can also be issue-based
o are several candidates vying for the
same groups?
Ideological targeting
o Look at the major trends in political
thoughts
o Compare with voting habits in the district
32
The Message
Youth Campaign
The overwhelmingly largest group of voters is under 30. For

this reason alone, it is logical to assign major priority to the
youth campaign. It is good to have people from different
generations on your campaign team in order to integrate as
much experience as possible in your strategy. In spite of this,
it has repeatedly proven to be the case that an independent,
concentrated youth campaign can be very successful.
You should reserve enough time to address young voters;

above all, you should form a working team for the youth
campaign as early as possible. You will recognise immediately
that many young people with an incredible energy, passion
and creativity will want to help you in your campaign. Their
commitment is indispensable.
When you have formed such a team you should start off by
carrying out a planning and strategy workshop with them.
You should address the following questions there:
What is the situation of young people in my constitu-
ency?
What are the topics and projects which are particularly
important to young people?
What is your message for the young people?
Are there certain organisations, associations, projects
and persons who are important to young people in your
constituency and whose support you should therefore
attempt to gain?
At what places and times can young people in your con-
stituency be addressed about politics?
33
Have there been particularly successful types of electoral

campaigns for the target group of young people in the
past?
Are there especially popular musicians in your constitu-
ency who can act as ambassadors for you with young
people?
What are some especially creative or appealing campaign
ideas for the campaign focusing on young people?
When you discuss this together, many practical ideas will

come up which can be organised in the campaign targeting
young people.
In the second step, you have to devise a realistic time schedule

and plan the different measures together. Your youth cam-
paign team should also receive a realistic budget. Appoint a
contact person on this team who is in charge of supervising
all activities and performing the coordination.
Additional Target Groups
Of course there are additional target groups in your campaign,

such as women, doctors and nurses, taxi drivers, teachers,
market women, government employees and many more. For
practical reasons alone, it makes sense, however, to develop
a campaign message which appeals to as many voters at
the same time as possible and then concentrate on two or
a maximum of three additional special target groups. This
does not mean that persons in whom you place your trust
cannot work intensively for you separately in certain parts
of a group in addition.
34
The Message
Checklist
Your message
a. Together with your team write a one-page summary of

yourself. Who are you? What have you done in your
career so far? Why do you want to become a politician?
At this point you should already be thinking about what
you want to tell people about your private life.
b. Together with your team write down the goals of your
party.
c. Together with your team write down your goals for your
constituency.
d. Think together about which of the goals are the five (5)
most important ones.
e. Put together your own electoral platform for your con-
stituency based on these five (5) goals.
f. When you have decided on a layout, produce the pledge
card together with your team.
Your target groups

a. Together with your team think about which target groups
are especially important to you in your campaign.
b. Think about whether it makes sense to address one of
the target groups with material specially made for it (this
is always important with young people, for example).
c. Think about which of your goals fit to which target
group.
35
36
Module III :
People to Work With
You want people to vote for you. You want them to give you
the powers so that you can fight for them. And you need
to convince voters during the campaign. But you cannot do
this all by yourself.
This brings us to one of the most important points in the

organisation of your campaign: your team. Nobody can
carry out a campaign without a team. Barack Obama to
take one successful example from the recent past himself
says that he never would have become President of the
United States if he had not had such a great team behind
him in the campaign. It is very important for you never to
underestimate this and that you constantly are aware of it.
A good team is the first essential item upon which electoral
victories are built.
Who is my Team?
You cannot organise a campaign without a good campaign

team. You need people who support you in your work and
help you reach as many voters as possible. Your team is your
crew: it makes sure that you always have sufficient material.
It makes sure that you arrive at the next rally or appoint-
37
ment on time. It makes sure that things you promise are

then delivered afterwards. It makes sure that you are always
accompanied and supported. Without your team a campaign
will not function properly.
Lots of experiences show that one needs a core team in

which all questions relating to the organisation and topics are
discussed openly and in which you have complete trust and
confidence. You will not always make the right decision and
every candidate makes mistakes. The difference between the
winner and the loser is that they learn from their mistakes
and they have people surrounding them who can draw their
attention to this. So make sure that you set up a team in
which you can also be criticised, and you should deal with
criticism in a constructive way. Learning from mistakes and
admitting these to oneself means growing as an individual.
Key people you need on your team include:

One person who has the complete overview of your ap-
pointments, dates and who can agree to or cancel these
appointments. Nobody else should do this and especially
not you yourself because you can otherwise cause con-
siderable chaos quickly!
A person who takes care of the many organisational things
which come up in a campaign in a reliable manner and
with tremendous endurance.
A person who can support you in writing texts for your
own material and/or press releases.
A person who can support in gathering information,
making researches, following up on current debates and
events in the constituency, in order to keep you up-
dated and prepare your rallies or meetings with target
38
People to work with
groups.
A person who can support you in coordinating the mo-
bilization of voters in the constituency.
A person who can support you to prepare and manage
the budget for the campaign.
It is important to remember that you cannot recruit your
team members as in a private firm. Most people you will
work with are people that spontaneously came to you because
they are interested in your platform and they are willing to
support. Try to identify what they have to offer with regard
to their competencies, their jobs, their areas of interest, and
give them responsibilities in the team accordingly.
If Paul is working as an accountant, you may want him
to support for the budget.
If Jane has studied in a communication school, you can
suggest that she helps you in preparing communication
materials and press releases.
If Ibrahima likes being with people, talking to them and
has a lot of energy, you may want him to support in
mobilizing voters on the field.
When you have put your team together, always remember:
your team can only work well if you inform it regularly. The
best method is to have times, for example once a week, in
which everybody gets together. At this meeting you can then
inform them how your week was and what appointments
are coming up the following week. You can discuss together
what appointments are very important for you and you can
delegate various tasks. This takes time, but when everybody
is always informed about everything it will save you time in
the end as well. These meetings should be an opportunity to
39
discuss things together and to exchange new ideas. Perhaps a

member of your team who is not in charge of taking care of
press work has a great idea for an interview. When everybody
feels involved, the work is also much more fun.
Illustration II
Campaign Team strategising
You must trust your team as individuals and you must also
be convinced that they can perform the tasks assigned to
them. If you find that individual members or parts of your
team make mistakes, you must talk to them and intervene
to correct things. You should always be aware that there is
no overtime in a campaign.
40
People to work with
Organise Advocates and Supporters
In this case, this means special supporters. These should be

people who are well-known and respected in your constitu-
ency. This could include, for example:
teachers,
doctors,
traders,
small business people at the local level or
artists.
Try to gain as many of these supporters as possible and

keep a small list with their names during the campaign.
Inform your supporters about your goals so that they can
also speak for you.
If you carry out an online campaign, you can involve your

supporters in it. They can appear on your homepage / on
your Facebook site / your blog with their names and possibly
a photograph and write a couple of lines like:
I support (your name) because: ... The reasons should be

short and concise.
If you have especially well-known supporters, you can also

run a small newspaper advertisement. You can as well, use a
photograph of your supporter and explain why he is support-
ing you.
If you are not doing any online campaign, you can ask your
supporters to come to rallies or to help out in your street
campaign every now and then.
41
The Chiefs and traditional rulers

You know that the local chiefs Important note : you
in your constituency play an always need to ask your
important role in everyday life. supporters for permission
We urge you to approach them to publish their names
at the beginning of the cam- it may be the case that
paign and inform them about the teacher in a village
your activities. Explain to them supports you, but is not
what you are planning when allowed to, or does not
want to, say so publicly.
and where. Even if they do not
To avoid problems here
support you publicly, it is impor- you should always ask
tant to involve and inform them. for permission first.
Checklist
Your team
a. Write down what tasks your team must perform.
b. Write down who you would like to have on your team
and what they have to be able to do.
c. Think about whether there is a place where you can
meet.
d. Obtain T-shirts for your team so that people will always
recognise them.
Your supporters
a. Together with your team make a list of your possible
supporters.
b. Make a list of supporters and think about which suppor-
ters can do what for you.
c. Appoint someone in your team to be responsible for
assisting supporters during the campaign.
42
Running your Campaign
Module IV :
What resources can be used to address and reach voters?

This question is one of the most important.
You should think carefully of how to use your limited
budget and that should inform your campaign strategy.
You should look at how diverse and large your constitu-
ency is and that determines whether it is possible to be
present as a candidate everywhere.
Cameroon has 271 registered political parties, among which

less than 10 are represented in local governments, and only
5 sit at the National Assembly. 80% of the field is occupied
by a dominant party, which has impressive means to run
campaigns. In this environment, if you want to succeed and
gain the trust of voters, you need to be innovative and ef-
ficient while running your campaign.
In general, it is of course important to make as many con-

tacts with voters as possible in election campaigns. The last
contact is on the Election Day, when citizens go to the polls
and read your name on a ballot or recognise the symbol of
your party. As many positive contacts as possible must be
organised in the weeks leading up to this day.
43
Campaign methods
You and your campaign team must think about how to create
as many repeated contacts to voters as possible with the
available resources. You have your message. You have your
plan. Now you have to apply resources in a clever way and
make sure that people notice you!
Be noticed !
When voters see a flyer or a newspaper, when they
see a poster or look at an Internet site which has been
made by your campaign team, they must be able to
recognise at a first glance that it is from you.
Always use the same layouts! Decide what the
corporate identity of your campaign should look like
in the campaign team
Use catchy slogans so that voters will immediately
understand and recognise your message and arguments
during a discussion in which you or your supporters
take part. This can be successful if you have thought
intensively about and decided on the slogan for your
campaign.
Street Campaign
In addition to traditional campaign methods, some of which

demand considerable resources and time (such as visiting
homes or door-to-door), you can also make yourself known
with a so-called street campaign and present your goals
in it. There are many types of possible activities here, and
they do not have to cost much money (See illustration III).
In the course of the campaign and together with your team,
44
ideas and activities will no doubt occur to you which will

work well in your constituency.
Your campaign team is extremely important in the street

campaign because you would scarcely be perceived as alone.
A group of persons attracts more attention. It is a good idea
to buy team T-shirts for your campaign team at the beginning
of the campaign. They do not have to cost a lot.
They should all be the same colour best is a striking colour.

You can print your picture on the back and on the front your
name and your claim or, for example, vote for ....
Our Party
Illustration III
Candidate addressing voters in a public place
45
In the street campaign it is important to find locations and

times that you can reach as many people as possible. Offer
to speak to people, but accept it when they do not want to
speak with you as well and move on in a friendly way. Nothing
is worse than when voters feel pressured. Imagine you are at
a marketplace with your children, you do not have much time,
you are carrying your groceries and people all of a sudden try
to drag you into a political discussion.
The Classic Distribution Campaign
Get your team together, if possible wearing the same T-shirts,

and go into town or to the marketplace where there are a
lot of people. If your budget allows, you can for example
offer water free of charge (together with your pledge card).
Together you should hand out your pledge card and if your
team meets someone who is interested in getting to know
you and discuss issues with you, they can bring him to you.
You should communicate your viewpoints and goals to this
citizen in a brief meeting and tell him that you would be
pleased if he would support you.
Street Tango
With street tango you find a busy intersection with a traffic

light. Equipped with a banner or posters, your team walks
across the intersection with your banner as soon as the light
for vehicles turns red. This is supposed to be fun, which is
why this form of campaign is more of something for young
people from your team. This method can mainly be used in
big Cameroonian towns that have traffic lights.
46
Illustration IV
Street tango with dancer wearing a partys T-shirt
You should have music or perhaps even a singer with you and
sing or play music and spread good cheer with the banner
when you cross the intersection. You do not necessarily have
to be there yourself for this form of campaign the banner
with your name, your photograph, your message/slogan and
your request for people to vote for you can also be presented
by your team itself. (See illustration IV)
Media Work (Radio, Print, TV)
In politics you can explain your goals to people in a direct

conversation with them. You can only reach a limited number
of people by visiting them in their homes, with letters or
telephone campaigns, however, which is why you also have
to use the media for communication. This includes electronic
47
media, television, daily and weekly newspapers and above all

radio. You need to identify opportunities to use these media
ahead of time, and prepare accordingly.
During the two-week official campaigning period leading

up to each election, different arrangements are made for
direct party access programmes. A total of 120 minutes on
radio and 60 minutes on television are allocated for direct
access programmes. However, LExpression Directe and a
number of other debate programmes are suspended during
this period, in order not to present a bias in favour of those
parties already in the National Assembly.
Two factors are taken into consideration in the allocation of

a partys airtime during the campaigning period: the number
of candidates running for each party, and the number of
constituencies in which the party is contesting. Parties are
also given airtime on regional radio stations in a manner
consistent with their presence in particular regions. The
Ministry of Communications makes the calculations and then
submits to the National Communication Board for review
and comments.
Being aware of this, you need to thoroughly manage the

time you are given in the medias.
Using the partys media channels

Some political parties in Cameroon have their own medias
(newspapers, websites, ). If this is the case for your party,
check how it would be possible to use these channels to
present your platform, and keep people informed on how
your campaign is going.
48
In case you are invited to a TV or radio program during your

campaign, it is very important to
Call the journalist to obtain the theme, and flow of the
program (what is the sequence at which the different
topics will be discussed, for how many minutes)
Clarify who else will take part to the program (opponents,
other journalists, observers, civil society organizations,
voters, etc)
Analyse what could be the position of the other guests,
or what type of unexpected questions could be asked
Prepare, with the support of your team, your contribu-
tions to the program, based on clear and exact facts
and figures. Whatever be the theme, make sure your
contributions are always consistent with the main mes-
sages of your platform
Telephone Campaign
Another resource in the campaign is of course the telephone.

More and more voters have one or more cell phone(s). You
can either call them directly or send them a text message.
Keep two things in mind:
Money. Sometimes it is possible to buy contingents of
telephone minutes or text messages from mobile tele-
communications providers at lower prices.
The telephone numbers: collect as many telephone num-
bers as possible and other address data from voters at
every opportunity. At every rally, at every street campaign
and on all the material you use, there should be a place
where people can provide this information (together with
49
their consent for you to use this in the campaign).

If you are not able to surmount these two obstacles (money
and telephone numbers), you can set up your own small
working unit to perform the telephone campaign. The deci-
sive factor in a telephone campaign is to have as many brief,
friendly contacts with voters as possible. The task is not to
invest expensive telephone time in endless discussions with
voters. If you notice that a conversation might take longer
than expected, you need to end the call on a friendly note
and call the next voter.
You can also use SMS to reach a large number of voters at

a low cost. Your message should be short and straight to
the point. More important, they should be able to identify
who is addressing to them, and after reading your message,
they should be able to remember the key words of your
platform.
Example of a SMS
Youths employment, for better living conditions,
for improved security, for economic empowerment
,for sustainable development. On June 22nd, make the
choice for a bright future for our town, choose the Our
Party !!!
Ngu Stephen, Candidate Our Party Garoua II
50
Online Campaign
The American presidential campaign in 2008 showed the

entire world how important the Internet has now become
for campaigns. Barack Obama was successful in using the
Internet to unleash a movement for change in America.
Many people supported him personally and financially via
the Internet, thus making possible his election to become
President of the USA.
Conditions in your constituency cannot be compared to those

of the United States. In spite of this, there are no doubt
voters in your constituency who have Internet access, use
an e-mail address or are also involved in a social network
(for example Facebook).
Here are just a few things which you can do in an online

campaign without spending too much.
Build a good, clearly structured and appealing candidate
website. This is your calling card on the Internet. You
introduce yourself, clearly state your aims and what you
are all about; you inform people how to get in touch with
you; you state the dates for the next campaign rallies,
meetings and reports in short texts with pretty pictures
from past rallies. There should be a separate area on it
where people can enter their addresses and tick off a
box indicating how they would like to support you. For
example, they can help you distribute flyers, or help you
in the street campaign, or hand out your pledge card in
their neighbourhood.
Create an e-mail mailing list and collect e-mail addresses
to which you regularly send a newsletter. In this (weekly)
51
newsletter, you can report on new developments in the

campaign and repeatedly draw attention to the possibil-
ity to support your campaign in practical terms (not only
financial ones).
Set up a fan page on Facebook and collect supporters
there. Provide current information on your campaign work
and react to comments and suggestions every day there.
Invite your Facebook friends to special discussions.
Twitter: this is a special, very quick format. It only makes
sense to use this when this short news service is already
being used by a large group in your constituency and you
can also use it regularly.
Otherwise in online, campaigns the rule is: you do not have

to do everything, but what you do must be good.
Campaigning in Urban and Rural Areas
Of course it makes a big difference whether you are carrying

out your campaign in a rural or urban area.
Carrying out an election campaign in cities appears simple

at first glance because there are many places where one
finds many people (football fields, marketplaces, shopping
precincts, etc.). But people in these places are often preoc-
cupied with other things; they do not have any time and are
not interested in listening to a political speech. With all the
distractions in cities, it may very well be the case that an
intensive electoral campaign goes virtually unnoticed.
52
In urban areas, for example, an online campaign is an abso-

lute must in rural areas you must consider whether your
voters have access to the Internet.
In an urban area there are many places where there are a

lot of people and a lot is going on. It is easier to perform a
street campaign there. In rural areas it is important to visit
people at home and find out when and where there are
markets.
Notes for the Campaign in Rural Constituencies
If you are standing for election in a rural constituency, certain

areas of the campaign of course involve major expenses in
terms of time and money. It is important to keep the differ-
ences with a campaign in a city in mind. Here are 10 things
to keep in mind in a campaign in a rural constituency:
You must be much more careful with how you use your
time and plan your campaign much more carefully. You
will spend a lot of time moving from one point to the
other.
You will not be able to plan exactly at which time of day
you will arrive at your destination, as travel may take a
long time depending upon the condition of roads and
traffic. You must take this into account in your planning
and announcements! It is not good to make voters wait
for hours to see you or if many have already left when
you finally arrive much later than planned.
You will need more money in your campaign budget for
transportation and petrol.
You should always make sure those supporters who travel
53
with you know the region and roads so that you do not
needlessly lose time by taking the wrong routes. Perhaps
your supporters can also speak the local language and
help you in translating.
You should check to make sure that you have enough
financial resources for a campaign bus. You can then
equip this bus with sufficient material and also use it
as advertising platform. The campaign bus can be your
travelling office.
It is helpful to have the bus equipped with loudspeakers
or megaphones. This will allow you to stop on route and
deliver brief campaign speeches.
In rural constituencies it is all the more important to have
well-known and recognised supporters. They can speak
on your behalf, solicit support and exercise considerable
influence in smaller village communities.
Think carefully whether there are certain times and places
in your constituency where many people always gather
together (markets, festivals, bus stops and stations) and
use these locations regularly over a long period of time
in order to make yourself known.
Think about what the differences are compared to a city
and how you can take advantage of these! One example:
many voters in your constituency spend many hours every
day going to and from their work. That is why they are
more interested in the issue of roads and traffic in rural
than urban areas. Maybe you have an idea on this topic
and can turn it into a campaign message.
Find out in detail what people in your constituency do
for a living and what you can do as their future repre-
sentative make their life easier.
54
The role of the Media
As a candidate, you always depend on people who control

access to media, i.e. radio reporters and editors or journalists.
Editors and reporters decide whether and how they report
on politics or a certain candidate. These are also the people
who invite candidates to take part in a round of discussions
on television or radio. Good media work thus makes sure
that you are able to present your positions frequently and
in enough detail in the press.
So you have to take media work very seriously.
It should be clear who is in charge of media work on your
team if you cannot always attend to this yourself
Observe and monitor the media and think about how
you can approach individual editors and reporters and
how important they are in your constituency.
Working with the press means seeking contact dont
wait for the press to come to you. You have to approach
newspapers or local radio stations yourself.
If there is a mistake in a report, your reaction should
always be appropriate. You should never threaten a
journalist. Mistakes can always happen. Try to talk to
journalists about how the mistake could have happened
and deliberate together how to correct a mistake in a
report without you or the journalist losing face.
You and your team have to respect freedom of the press.
You will frequently experience that a journalist who in-
terviews you is of a different opinion than you. In these
cases it is always very important to remain friendly!
Sometimes it helps to say something like:
55
I am pleased that Mr. / Ms. ... is so involved in politics. I

understand her arguments very well, but I have a different
opinion on this issue ... Convince journalists with solid argu-
ments in discussions!
You should only invite journalists to meetings when you
really have something to say.
You will find practical tips on how to draft a press release

in the Annex.
Campaign and Budget
A campaign does not always have to be expensive it does

not cost anything to enthuse people.
We know that it is difficult to carry out a campaign in Cam-

eroon without a large budget of your own. Traditionally gifts
and giveaways are expected and not everybody can finance
things like this. In addition to low budget campaigns, which
we have presented here, it is very important to be sincere
and credible with voters. Initial contact with them can look
like this, for example:
Hello. My name is ... I am contesting on the ticket of [...]

Our Party as candidate for [....] local elections. I would like
to tell you what my aims and objectives are and what I
would like to change if I am elected. Unfortunately I cannot
give you any presents. I myself do not have a large budget
and I cant hand out gifts like others do. Also, I would not
like our relationship to be based on a gift that will not last
a month. But I would like to work so that we are all better
56
off ... I think that is important that in politics everyone has

a chance and not only those who can carry out a campaign
with lots of money.
You do not need to be embarrassed about this. The task is

not to buy voters, but rather to convince them. Tell them
your story and tell them why you are passionate about en-
gaging in politics and what you would like to change if you
are elected.
A T-shirt as a gift might be worn for one year. A politician

in the capital who fights for the interests of his voters is
infinitely more valuable to them.
Estimate how much you will spend for what you need to
accomplish. You should include overhead (office, space, etc.)
and costs of voter contact. Be realistic. You can put together
several budgets, based on how much you are able to raise.
The budget is a highly effective way to track how you are
doing in the campaign on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
The types of things to put in a budget are :
overhead (preferably not more than 25 % of the budget)

o office rental
o staff
o telephones
o computers and other office equipment
o supplies
o research costs.
voter contact activities

o printed materials
57
o advertising
o event costs
o transportation costs
o food, water for volunteers, etc.
Checklist
Layout
a. Together with your team think about whether you will
have a certain colour for your campaign.
b. Think with your team about a slogan.
c. If you still need a logo, think about whether you can
make it yourself or whether you need help. If this is too
difficult, a claim will suffice.
d. Appoint someone from your team to be responsible for
the layout of your campaign. You may need to check other
parties layouts to make sure that yours in different. The
website of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and
Decentralization in Cameroon presents the list of political
parties with their logos
The media
a. Together with your team think about what the most
important media in your constituency is.
b. Make a list of the names of the most important journal-
ists.
c. Think about which journalists you or members of your
team already know.
d. Think about which journalists it would be good to intro-
duce yourself to.
58
e. Draft a brief biography of your life and career.

f. Make a press mailing list for your press releases.
g. Appoint someone from your team to be responsible for
the press and public relations work.
The budget
a. Make a financial plan. How much money do you have at
your disposal?
b. How great will your expenditure be?
c. How much in donations do you need?
The planning calendar

a. Make a planning calendar together with your team. It
ends on Election Day for the campaign, and may continue
until the publication of the results (follow up is important
after the Election Day).
b. What important dates are there which you can perceive
already at this point?
c. Try to find out whether there are important dates for
your competition.
d. Enter holidays and key events (important football matches,
festivals, market dates, etc.) in the calendar.
e. Keep the planning calendar up to date during the entire
campaign together with your team.
59
60
Module V :
On the D-Day
You have prepared this day for months, sometimes for years.
Here we are, it is the D-day. You will see the materialization
of your efforts. You may think this is the end of the road,
but there is still a lot to be done.
Protecting your votes
Many politicians have challenged the electoral framework in

Cameroon. One of the criticisms is that it does not secure
the votes expressed by the population. You worked very hard
to convince people about your platform. You need to get
the real picture about how far you could convince people.
In order to have eyes and ears in voting bureaus, you need
to rely on your polling agents
The polling agents are part of the electoral commission

of your constituency on behalf of your party. Their role is to
take part to all the activities of the bureau on the Election
Day, and to ensure that voting goes on within the respect
of the rules. They generally work on a voluntary basis, but
you may need to take in charge their feeding and transport
on the D-day.
61
If you want your polling agents to be ecient on the Elec-

tion
Day, you need to train them on:
The legal framework of the elections in Cameroon

The key actors and their roles
The electoral process on the day of elections (key steps,
actors and responsibilities)
Difficulties they might face and how to address these.
In case you cannot do such trainings yourself, find out with

Civil Society Organizations working in your constituency. They
sometimes organize trainings for scrutateurs during electoral
periods as part of their projects.
It is very important that scrutateurs bring back the report

of the electoral commission, so that you can track and keep
information on your performances in the constituency. This
can also be part of a global system within your party.
How to communicate in case of irregularities
In case your scrutateurs notice unusual or illegal practices

during the vote, it is important to collect proofs properly.
These will support you in case you want to denounce or
inform on these irregularities. The law demands that proofs
should be collected under the control of a bailiff. However,
it is very difficult to find one bailiff ready to work on that
day. Therefore, it might be good to identify one before the
elections.
62
On the D-Day
In case there are irregularities you would like to inform on,

your communication during the election should be prepared
and relevant. As, during the campaign, only invite journalists
if you have a specific and clear message to transmit. Finally,
as this is a sensitive period, your team and you should remain
respectful and calm, and avoid passion.
Learning lessons from campaign and elections
At the end of the elections, you need to invite your team

for an assessment exercise.
It is helpful that you identify:

What worked well?
What did not work well?
What can we do to work better and have better results
in 5 years?
It is also the opportunity to thank each one of them for

their support.
63
Elected! What now?
One thing is still very dear to us. We have already mentioned

it several times: when the campaign is over, the next one
begins. In football they say after the match is before the
match. Dont forget this. Remember the promises which
you have made write them down and take them with you
to the capital. You will not be able to achieve all of them.
If something is not possible, then this has to be explained
to people.
The next election is in five years. Then at the latest they will
ask you what has become of your promises. If you cannot
explain your successes and why you were not able to achieve
certain things, then your voters may become upset. It is better
to directly approach voters and say to them: I promise this
to you, but we are not able to finance this at present/the
other side outvoted me ..., etc.
As a parliamentarian or a mayor, it is also important to visit

various areas of your constituency during your term and be
open to the desires and needs of the population again and
again. Go to market places, visit people in their homes in
isolated areas every now and then so that people have the
feeling that they have not been forgotten. It is not good to
only show up before the next election.
If you have carried out an online campaign, then keep all

of your voters up to date. Keep writing the blog about your
work, stay on Facebook, etc.!
64
On the D-Day
The best campaign is the work entrusted in you which you

perform over the five years of the legislative and municipal
terms!
65
66
Annex
Tips and Examples
Pledge Card Example
Ngu Stephen
Our Party
Garoua II
Illustration V
Candidate giving out a pledge card to a voter
67
Example of a Uniform Layout
There are two variants here: the first one is that your party
has its own corporate identity and makes available both the
layouts and advertising to its candidates.
With the Social Democratic Party in Germany it is required

to always use the colour red and the logo of the SPD (a
square with a white SPD in letters). If your party does not
do that, you have to make a logo yourself. It should be simple
and still be easy to recognise for people. Then you have to
talk to your team and explain to them that the layout has
to be placed on all advertising in your campaign. To make
your own layout you need a computer and a word-processing
programme.
In the first step, think about:

What colour you want to use (NOTE: find out ahead of
time what colours the opposing candidate is using so
that there is no danger of confusion here)
Think about your slogan very carefully. The slogan which
you think about using at the beginning of your campaign
will accompany you throughout your entire campaign. So
it is definitely worth taking an afternoon together with
your team to think about this together. Yes, we can is
the famous claim from the Obama campaign. A claim is
supposed to use one or more words to state what you
stand for. Other examples include: innovation and justice,
more justice, free education, etc.
Think about whether there is a symbol which goes with
your slogan a logo. This does not necessarily have to
be the case. If nothing occurs to you or it is too com-
68
Annex
plicated, you can simply create your slogan in a certain

script or colour that is also enough.
For the German Social Democrats, the logo is a red square

with SPD in it. The Republicans in America have an elephant
in their logo. When you have come up with a logo, try to
find out whether it is already being used by other parties.
You cannot you simply use the apple from the company
Apple if anyone finds out about this, it could cost you a
lot of money.
One example of a personal logo could be greeting hands, a

triangle representing Cameroon or an animal that represents
your value and is commonly and positively used in Camer-
oonian culture. Look for something for which you want to
stand in politics, for example, honesty.
Lets assume that you have decided to use black, grey and
white as your colours and your slogan is Employed Youth for
the Development of Cameroon and your logo is a landing
eagle. Your layout could then look like this:
OUR PARTY
Development for Cameroon
69
This is your banner. This banner should among other things

be on every press release, every flyer, below your e-mail
address, on every poster, etc..
Example of a planning calendar
Date Activity Coordinator and Expenses

Volunteers
Election
Day
One Week
Before Elec-
tion Day
Two Weeks
Before Elec-
tion Day
Three Weeks
Before Elec-
tion Day
Five Weeks
Before Elec-
tion Day
70
Annex
Date Activity Coordinator and Expenses

Volunteers
Election
Day
Eight Weeks
Before Elec-
tion Day
T h r e e
M o n t h s
Before Elec-
tion Day
Five Months
Before Elec-
tion Day
Six Months
Before Elec-
tion Day
71
Practical Tips on Writing a Press Release

Journalists usually do not have much time. They decide in
the first three seconds whether your press release is worth
reading or whether to throw it into the dustbin without
reading it.
1. The first second of attention: Who is the sender?
2. The second second of attention: Is the headline current
or the topic important for readers?
3. The third second of attention: Is the most important
message at the beginning?
Here are a couple of practical tips:
1. Make sure you have a nice signature

As a result of the large amount of information for the press
which an editor has to read every day, the decision whether
to print your press release or not often only takes a few
seconds.
2. Write for journalists, not for later readers

Your press release should first of all arouse the interest of
journalists and not make their work unnecessary. After all,
journalists themselves know how they need to write for their
readers probably better than you.
3. Clear language
Here as well, the task is to use clear language with short,
easy-to-understand sentences.
72
Annex
4. State the most important things first

In articles which are too long, the parts which come later
are of course chopped off. You make it easier for editors to
work when you place the most important information at the
beginning of your press release. Moreover, nobody wants to
struggle their way through a long text in order to find out
at the end that the release does not provide any important
news. Make it clear in the first paragraph who did what,
when, where, how and why. The details are then provided
later in the text.
5. Tell one story only

Think about what the story behind your release should be.
Your press release needs to have a common theme which
stimulates readers to continue reading without overtaxing
them. At most, you should only briefly touch on secondary
aspects.
73
Some laws and regulations on political communica-

tion in Cameroon
Law 90 052 of 19 December 1990 relating to freedom

of social communication
Law No. 96/04 of 04 January 1996 amending the Law
relating to Freedom of Social Communication
Decree n 92 / 030 of 13 February 1992 relating to mo-
dalities for political parties to access public medias
Ministerial decree n 009/MINCOM/CAB of 22 November
2001 fixing technical conditions for producing, program-
ming and broadcasting of the program Espaces Politiques
in audiovisual public medias
Ministerial decree n 012/MINCOM/CAD of 07 June 2002
fixing conditions for producing, programming and broad-
casting programs related to the electoral campaign.
74
Annex
Bibliography
1. 100 Grassroots Campaign Strategies, by Joe The Barber

Muschiano; Trafford Publishing, 22. Februar 2010
2. Buck Up, Suck Up . . . and Come Back When You Foul
Up: 12 Winning Secrets from the War Room, by James
Carville; Simon & Schuster, 2002
3. Dispatches from the War Room: In the Trenches with
Five Extraordinary Leaders, by Stanley B. Greenberg;
Thomas Dunne Books, 2009
4. How to overcome the power of incumbency in election
campaigns (Kommunikation in Politik Und Wirtschaft);
Nomos Verlag, 2010
5. Mr. and Mrs. Grassroots: How Barack Obama, Two
Bookstore Owners, and 300 Volunteers Did It, by John
Presta; Elevator Group, 2010
6. New Directions in Campaigns and Elections (New Direc-
tions in American Politics), by Stephen K. Medvic (Editor);
Routledge Chapman & Hall, 2011
7. Roots to Power: A Manual for Grassroots Organizing, Sec.
Edition by Lee Staples, Richard A. Cloward and Frances
Fox Piven; Praeger Publishers Inc, 2004
8. The Audacity to Win: How Obama Won and How We
Can Beat the Party of Limbaugh, Beck, and Palin, by
David Plouffe; Penguin, 2010
75
9. The Campaign Manager: Running and Winning Local

Elections, by Catherine Shaw; Westview Press, 2009
10. The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding
the Fate of the Nation: How We Make Up Our Minds
Without Using Our Heads, by Drew Westen; Public Af-
fairs Press, 2008
11. Winning Elections: Political Campaign Management,
Strategy, and Tactics, by Ronald A. Faucheux; M Evans
& Co Inc, 2003
12. African Women Campaign Training Manual, Stephenie
Foster, 2008
76

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Running for Office

Running for Office

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ISBN 978 9956-0-9220-8

Conducting a political campaign in Cameroon with very little

This Guide, divided into five modules, primarily looks at the

Enjoy reading and thank you for your feedback!

Module IV : Running your Campaign...............................43

Look at the people around you

How do I use the Guide ?

The decision to stand as candidate for a political office is no

It is really important to think things through before becom-

You will experience all kinds of things in your campaign. You

However, every election campaign is unique! The worst

same way: they begin with a short introduction, then examine

When you begin an election campaign, you will be lacking

How do I analyse the Constituency? You know your constitu-

Before you start the actual campaign, you should get a

Analysis of the Constituency

Obtain good maps of your constituency. You may obtain them

Another key step is to obtain all available data on voting be-

Find out about whether there are certain districts in

In addition to the analysis you can also think about whether

Topics and Target Groups

Certain topics and problems in your constituency are es-

The second step is to compare this list with the information

At any rate it is a good idea to decide which groups you want

You must repeatedly discuss this with your electoral team so

There is no doubt a large number of target groups in your

everyday working lives of this target group and which would

Can I Organise Target-group Events?

Sometimes one is invited by organisations of a target group

The selection of the key target groups is one of the most

In order to clearly identify the concerns and areas of interest

Who are my Competitors?

Candidates from the same party

It may be the case that you have to go through an internal

In a nomination procedure it is important to always keep

Candidates of other Parties Political Opponents

You should devote most of your time and energy to explaining

It is common approach to have a member of your campaign

Voters want to be able to recognise the dierences be-

This side of the campaign will again and again lead to

Analysis of the constituency

a. Look very closely at the opposing candidates.

And this brings us to your very personal platform and your

But this platform applies to the entire country. You should

Your platform should be specific and concrete. The more

not be able to satisfy all of them, but rather only a small

And that leads to the question as to whether it is wise to

No matter whom you ask:

With your small personal election platform, you will thus

takes courage at the beginning, but you will see: it builds

You should develop your personal electoral platform together

The Election Campaign Pledge Card

Sum up your most important goals for the constituency suc-

Invite voters to take part in the development of your elec-

Of course conditions in the USA cannot be compared with