Cameroon: Fecavolley in crisis as two self-proclaimed presidents emerge
Fecavolley: with two elected presidents and two General Assemblies, the crisis at the Cameroonian Volleyball Federation drags on
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"Holding several elections through different Assemblies is likely to lead to the Federation being suspended." That warning from the international volleyball governing body (FIVB) has changed nothing. The Cameroonian Volleyball Federation (Fecavolley) has held two elections. The latest took place this Saturday, 4 February 2023.
The meeting in Yaoundé ended with the re-election of incumbent president Julien Serge Abouem. The sole candidate, he took all 90 votes available. The ballot came two weeks after Bello Bourdanne was elected to the same post on 20 January by a separate General Assembly.
Two presidents, one seat
In a situation both absurd and unprecedented, Fecavolley now has two presidents, two boards and two General Assemblies. Each Executive Bureau considers its own election lawful and denounces the rival camp's vote. "We have just won an important point in a tough contest," said Julien Serge Abouem. The newly elected "president" has just been served with a bailiff's notice ordering him to cease all action in the name of Fecavolley. It is a move by the other "president", Bello Bourdanne, whose election has been ratified by the Sports Minister, who holds the legal powers of oversight, regulation, supervision and monitoring of national sports federations.
Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi considers that the renewal of Fecavolley's governing bodies was completed on 20 January with the election of Bello Bourdanne. The latter, he notes, also "as official recognition, took part in the appointment of the Executive Bureau of the Cameroon National Olympic and Sports Committee on 26 January 2023", according to the government member. On that occasion, Bello Bourdanne was elected to the board of the said Olympic Committee.
It began with the rules
As a reminder, the crisis at Fecavolley stems from disagreements over the rules meant to govern the elections. The Bello Bourdanne faction backed the 2013 rules, while that of Julien Serge Abouem, which opposed the Sports Minister's instructions even though he too favoured the 2013 rules, adopted its own in October 2022. That is how two General Assemblies gradually took shape, each running its own electoral process. In Yaoundé, all eyes are now on the African Confederation and the International Volleyball Federation.
Arthur Wandji