By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The Constitutional Council has ruled in favor of the Pulse Party, rejecting the SDF’s trademark claim on it ballot paper. the verdict was made public on August 23 in Yaounde. The dispute centered on the imagery used by both parties. In the ballot papers presented, the two candidates in the upcoming Presidential Elections are depicted with their hands raised to the sky, signifying power.
During the case, the SDF argued, among other points, that raising a hand toward the sky has been their trademark since the party’s launch in 1990 and that the PULSE party’s use of the symbol was an infringement.
The SDF further contended that due to their seniority as a political party in Cameroon, their trademark should be protected, and they alone should have the right to use it.
However, the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT) stated that the constitutions of both parties, as submitted to the Ministry, clearly define their emblems. According to MINAT, Article 4 of the SDF constitution describes its emblem as a scale placed on a ballot box, with a background of green tropical landscape. In contrast, Article 2 of the PULSE constitution explicitly indicates and explains the use of a hand raised to the sky.
In addition, the case was also rejected because of late submission. Despite the Constitutional Council ruling in favor of the PULSE party, militants and sympathizers of the SDF are crying foul, calling it a calculated attempt to confuse their electorate in the upcoming Presidential Elections.
