IEC Has Registered 189,879 Voters So Far

FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)

Publisher

18 May 2011

The Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Alhagi Mustapha L.Carayol on Tuesday informed journalists that 189, 879 voters have registered so far.

According to him, they have only one card for each citizen. He warned that anybody who allows a child who is under 18 years and a non citizen to be registered as a voter is not only wasting the resources of the Nation, but would also find oneself before a Revising court and may shoulder stiff penalties. He said election is an expensive enterprise and the cost should not be increased through fraud. He said each citizen is entitled only to one vote and that the person will vote where he or she is registered. He said any claimant who is without birth certificate, ID card or passport should collect an attestation form directly from the registration team and no one else and go to one´s parents or others who know one´s background for attestation.

The IEC Chairman said before the commencement of the Registration exercise, he went round the country to inform Governors; Mayors, Chiefs and “Alkalolu” that no person or group of persons should stationed themselves in a registration centre in the name of attesting for any claimant

The IEC Chairman noted that there should not be a permanent team of attesters in any registration centre posing to have the authorization of the IEC; adding his officials are going round registration centers and would eject any attester in the registration centres. “We need a free and transparent general registration of voters and would not allow five elders staying in a registration centre attesting to people whom they may not even know” stated the IEC chairman.

The IEC also noted that their registration officers can interact with the claimants by asking them questions to ascertain whether they are born or are residing in the constituency where they are seeking to be registered.

The IEC Chairman made these assertions in a press briefing held at the IEC Headquarters along Bertil Harding Highway on Tuesday 17th May 2011 while responding to questions posed by journalists.

In delivering his statement at the press briefing,the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commision(IEC) Alhagi Mustapha L.Carayol said, “As you are all aware, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Independent Electoral Commission by Section 14 of the Elections Act, the duration for the conduct of the General Registration of Voters was declared accordingly”.

In a bid to prepare the Temporary staff for the enormous task ahead of them, he said, the IEC conducted seven days of training comprising both theory and practice. Prior to this, he said the staff underwent thorough screening that involved practical test and interview at the Election House and the IEC Regional Offices.

The IEC Chairman stated that the staff are divided basically into two categories namely: the Senior Registration Officers who are in charge of the Constituencies and the Registration Officers who are responsible for the registration of all eligible Gambians at the Registration Centres. The Chairman went on to say that there are sixty SROs(Senior Registration Officers) and eight hundred ROs(Registration Officers), comprising two hundred teams deployed across The Gambia tasked with the responsibility of registering all eligible Gambians in six weeks.

The IEC Chairman said, “I am very much elated to announce that one hundred and eighty nine thousand eight hundred and seventy nine (189,879) voters have been registered from 5th May to 11th May 2011 throughout the country”. “The breakdown of the registration returns for the first week per Administrative Area is as follows:

– Banjul Administrative Area 6,631 voters

– Kaninfing Administrative Area 56,461 voters

– Brikama Administrative Area 46, 663 voters

– Kerewan Administrative Area 20,930 voters

– Mansakonko Administrative Area 10,680 voters

– Janjangbureh Administrative Area 22,534 voters

– Basse Administrative Area 25,980 voters”.

However ,he said one may be tempted to think that all was rosy in the first week considering the high number of voters registered. He pointed out that the Commission encountered problems with some of the generators and some of the other equipment. He went on to say that with the dedication of the Technical staff, most of the problems encountered during the first week of registration have been overcome.

Carayol indicated that he wishes to reiterate the fact that as inscribed on the back of the Voter’s Card “one citizen one vote,” everybody is encouraged to register only once and that the system in place will detect any such act of double registration. “Remember that double registration is a crime and the culprits will be dealt with accordingly” he stated.

The IEC Chairman noted that “the Registration Centre is not the place where those who attest to registrants should sit. “Any claimant for registration who is without a Birth Certificate, Identity Card or Passport may collect an attestation form from the registration teams, after which he/she may look for either the Chief, Alkalo or five elders to vouch for their citizenship”.

He pointed out that the Revising Courts will be set up immediately after the display and scrutiny period and that since the particulars of those that attest to the citizenship of claimants for registration will be captured, the law will take its course if it is found out that the attesters did so fraudulently.

He noted that Election is not a child’s play and so consequently, all persons who will not be eighteen years by 24th November 2011 should not be registered. He asserted that they will have the chance to be registered in two years time and that is during the Supplementary Registration of Voters.

In conclusion,Mr Carayol stated that he wishes to remind all Gambians that one will vote where one is registered and that the Registration teams will be moving according to schedule and therefore there is no need for people to register elsewhere. He said the teams will get to them accordingly.

He concluded by saying that he wishes to thank all the stakeholders in the electoral process for effectively playing their role in the voter registration exercise.

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