IEC Boss Calls For High Voter Turn-Out

The Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Mr. Mustapha L. Carayol, has called on Gambians to participate in the forthcoming January 24th 2008 local government elections, noting that local government elections are as important as the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Mr. Carayol opined that elections are important events in any democratic dispensation considering that they provide opportunities for the reassessment of the functioning of institutions and whether the doctrine of good governance is being adhered to. He therefore called on Gambians to take ownership of the electoral process. “Elections are important in any democratic system because it is through elections that the formal allocation of power occurs. Elections give legitimacy to governments and democratic systems,” he said.

Mr. Carayol was speaking yesterday at a press conference organized by the IEC before the commencement of the exercise on the transfer and replacement of voting card in preparation for local government elections for Mayors of Banjul City Council (BCC) and Kanifing Municipal Council (KMC) and Councilors for the 114 wards in the eight local government councils in The Gambia.

BCC and KMC both the ward councilors and Mayor would be voted in office by the electorates and the rest of the local government councils, only the ward councilors would be voted for.

The electoral exercise, the IEC Chairman explained, is for the election of Ward Councilors and Mayors for BCC and KMC on the one hand and ward councilors for the other local government councils on the other.

Mr. Carayol disclosed that IEC would embark on a massive countrywide voter education programme from 18th October to January 23rd, 2008 aimed at creating awareness among stakeholders in the electoral process as well as promoting mass participation and high voter turn-out among other things. He further revealed that the IEC would be organizing three workshops throughout the country for all stakeholders and partners in the electoral process, to deliberate on the theme: “Strengthening the electoral process in The Gambia.” The workshops would be held from 22nd to 23rd October for Banjul, KMC and Western Region,; 25th to 26th for North Bank Region, Lower River Region and the last from 29th to 30 October for Central River and  Upper River Regions.

The IEC boss intimated that for one to qualify for the office of Councilor or Mayor, one has to be a citizen of The Gambia, not less than 21 years, a registered voter, ordinarily resident in the Local Government Area in which he or she seeks election among others for an aggregate period of not less than 12 months, for aspiring Councilor, and should be at least a secondary school graduate, and not less than thirty years old for Mayor.

He added that IEC is working on the corrections on the register and called on those interested in ascertaining the inclusion of their names on the voter register to contact the Regional Electoral Office in their administrative area on the following numbers: Banjul - 4223798, Kanifing - 4374275/4, Brikama -4484899, Kerewan- 5720080, Mansakonko-5531168, Janjanbureh – 5676197 and Basse- 5668638/4.

He added that there would be an exercise to replace lost, destroyed or mutilated voters’ cards and to transfer voters cards from Thursday 1st November to Friday 30th November 2007. He concluded that the exercise would take place in IEC Regional Offices in the various regions and that a fee of D50.00 would be levied on any transferred or replaced card.