The Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Hon. Musa Bala Gaye, has revealed that the government of The Gambia provided funds to the tune of D33,481,869.00 (Thirty-three million, four hundred and eighty-one thousand, eight hundred and sixty-nine dalasis) towards the conducting of the 2006 registration of voters and the presidential elections.

In response to Hon. Kebba Touray’s (NAM for Illiasa) question on how much has been spent by the Gambia government on the registration of voters and conducting the 2006 presidential elections, raised during question and answer session at the National Assembly on Wednesday, 13th December 2006, the Finance and Economic Affairs Secy informed National Assembly Members that the amount includes funds required by other institutions of government that were actively involved in the whole exercise.

According to him the institutions are the Gambia Police Force, the Army, the National Intelligence Agency and State Guards. “Part of the funds will also be used for the upcoming National Assembly elections in the year 2007,” he said, adding that the final figures on government expenses would only be known after the 2007 National Assembly elections.

Also responding to a supplementary question raised by Hon. Halifa Sallah on whether the D120,000,000.00 (One hundred and twenty million dalasis) that was estimated was designed to cover the period up to 2007 National Assembly elections or including a period ahead of that.

Secy Bala Gaye said that the D120,000,000.00 provided was used for the funding of seven exercises connected with the presidential elections. “They were for supplementary registration exercise, the conducting of the presidential and National Assembly elections in 2007, which is the total government commitment in addition to the US$500,000 (Five hundred thousand dollars) that was provided by UNDP and other donor agencies,” he said.