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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
 Posted - 06 Apr 2021 : 15:45:03
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Open Letter to the IEC
Mr. Alieu Momar Njie
Chairperson, Independent Electoral Commission
Election House,
KSMD, The Gambia
6th April, 2021
Dear Chairperson Alieu Momar Njie:
Request for information
The Right 2 Know Coalition-Gambia extends its greetings and compliments to you and the IEC. We write in the true spirit of partnership, with the aim of assisting your Commission better deploy its mandate at this critical time, as The Gambia heads for elections on 4th December, 2021. The R2K Coalition is seeking information on how these upcoming polls are being conducted by your good offices. We have written to you in the past, the first of which was on 17th October 2016 on the same issue, albeit under very different circumstances. We have subsequently written to your good self on two other occasions on 16 September 2019, requesting that you normalize the issue of diaspora voting, and respect the rights of the Diaspora to participate in the electoral processes. We will place it on record that we have never received a response to any of our letters. We hope that this time around we will receive a response.
As the lead agency tasked with conducting elections in The Gambia, the IEC’s awesome responsibility of upholding and adhering to its legal mandate and principles of integrity and fair play, cannot be overstated. We realize the responsibility entrusted to it by the constitution and the various legislative frameworks that legalizes its existence. It is in this regard that the R2K Coalition-Gambia wishes to enquire from the IEC several critical aspects of the management of the elections process as we inch closer to the December Presidential elections in 2021 and the National Assembly elections in 2022.
We have engaged your good offices as far back as November 2019 to discuss the levels of preparations for these upcoming elections, and have in no small measure stretched our hand in the spirit of partnership to assist where needed, especially in terms of the external census, which is a pre requisite for Diaspora voter registration exercise. However, despite commitments made by the IEC to work with all stakeholders in this process, such commitments have come to nought. We therefore now find ourselves in a challenging situation whereby we have less than 235 days to go before the polls, and we are yet to receive information on the voter registration regime both in and outside of the country. We are also yet to receive a road map as to how the elections calendar will be deployed.
We are anxious that without proper planning, and timely information on these fundamental questions, issues of credibly, transparency and ability to deliver a free and fair elections by the IEC arise. In the current national context, where political tensions and suspicions amongst political parties and their supporters run high, combined with the largest number of political parties and independent candidates being registered in our history, the stakes and risks remain a real threat to peace and stability if elections are not properly managed.
We are also faced with the fact that there is now a court ruling, which compels you to rectify the policy of Diaspora disenfranchisement that the IEC and Gambia government had actively practiced since the dawn of the Second Republic. The courts have affirmed the rights of every Gambian (in and outside of the country) to vote and be voted for, as stated in the constitution. We are now awaiting with heightened expectation that this will be fulfilled as part of your legal and constitutional obligation to ensure that every Gambia living abroad is registered so as to afford them their right to cast their ballot when the time comes.
It is with these principles that we would like to receive information on:
An elections road map detailing:
- If and when an external census will be conducted to capture the number of Gambians residing abroad for the purposes of preparing the ground for their registration as voters (if they so choose);
- the registration process at national and international level (for the Diaspora);
- The dates and timelines for the above;
We also have other queries regarding the rationality of the upward revision of deposits for citizens vying for political office, which was included in the recently tabled Elections Bill, 2021 as follows:
(a) President, shall deposit or cause to be deposited with the Returning Officer, the sum of 500,000.00 (five hundred thousand dalasis);
b) Member of the National Assembly, deposit or cause the deposited with the Returning Officer the sum of 50,000.00 (fifty thousand dalasi)
c) Mayor or Chairperson deposited or cause to deposited with the returning officer, the sum of 50,000.00 (fifty thousand dalasis) and
(e) Councillor, deposit or cause to be deposited w\th the Returning Officer, the sum of 10,000.00 (ten thousand dalasi);
The electoral system has four stakeholders, the IEC, the Government, registered political parties and the people. All of these stakeholders should be consulted, before such stringent measures in policy and in practice are decided. Did the IEC consult stakeholders before agreeing to such colossal hikes in the deposits? What were these figures based on?
The R2K Coalition is therefore looking forward to receiving feedback on the request for information from the IEC on matters that we deem fundamental in any democracy, and absolutely critical to the delivery of free, fair, and transparent elections.
Sincerely,
R2K Coalition- Gambia
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Institutions and Diplomatic Missions to which this Open letter is copied:
African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights- Commissioner Jasmina Essie King
African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (AU-PAPS)- H.E. Bankole Adeoye
ECOWAS, Director of Political Affairs- Dr Remi Ajibewa
ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC)- Dr. Goncalves
British High Commissioner to The Gambia- H.E. David Belgrove OBE
EU Delegation to The Gambia- H.E. Corrado Pampaloni
UNOWA- H.E. Annadif Khatir Mahamat Saleh
US Ambassador the United States of America to the Republic of The Gambia- H.E. Richard Paschal
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Who:
R2K Gambia is a grouping of individuals with professional backgrounds ranging from geology, demographics, economics, international relations and law, communications, and academia. All members are human rights activists. We are located in the US, UK, West and Southern Africa. We are a non-partisan entity that focuses on rule of law and democracy, good governance, human rights, transparency, and the principles of access to information.
The Democratic Union of Gambian Activists (DUGA)- is an umbrella movement to unite Gambians in North America (US and Canada), Europe and Africa, mobilizing citizens to achieving the goal of a sustainable democracy in The Gambia.
Gambia Participates is civil society in The Gambia that work towards strengthening democracy and good governance in The Gambia. Being in existence since 2016, GP has also been working on voter education and participation and as well promoting elections transparency and accountability
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12238 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2021 : 18:22:35
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RELATED TOPIC:
https://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17528
Snippet:
Addressing a news conference on Thursday, the IEC chief electoral officer, Samboujang Njie said: “It is in the commission’s plans to register the Diaspora. I can assure you that the IEC is very committed and ever ready to ensure that the diaspora are given the opportunity to vote. We didn’t include them in the recent calendar because we want to conclude with the domestic registration first after which we will communicate the date for the Diaspora registration”.
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It is VERY VERY ODD, and of great concern that the IEC has constantly failed to respond to the letters addressed to them since 17th October 2016 and subsequently even NOW !N 2021 bearing in mind the forthcoming Presidential election and NA election in 2022. No confirmed dates have been posted.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 06 Apr 2021 18:24:44 |
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Open Letter to the IEC
