Bruits de vote: market Strategy

en days into the Presidential election campaign, almost all the major corners of the Cameroon triangle have been visited by the nine candidates vying for the country's top most position. Each candidate has adopted a campaign strategy rated as best to woo electorates come October 07. Without very much giving judgment as to which of them is best enough to give victory to which candidate, it is important however to note that all candidates have opted to carry out their campaign in public places and areas where they think they can easily meet with the population. One of such places most, if not, all of them do not make the mistake of not visiting, are popular markets in the country's major towns.

The whole idea of taking the campaign trail to popular markets tells of the desire of candidates to make popular their political programmes. The strategy described by some as "market strategy" is not just undertaken haphazardly. Candidates carefully choose the market where to organize their campaigns. They go to the most popular markets of the town. They choose when the market is full of its people. And when they do go there, they make sure they visit the most popular side of the market.

While in the market, they coerce the marketers to develop interest in what they have to say or do. They move with a permanent campaign team that have with it the necessary noise making instruments to whip up anxiety among the people and catch their attention. How far their messages have been penetrating the electorates is another issue. The market strategy or the strategy of the market seems to have...