The
African Union Election Observation Mission (AUEOM) to the National Assembly
Elections in The Gambia held on 6 April 2017 has commended the peaceful conduct
of the elections.
The
AUEOM led by Mr Terry Tselane, Vice Chairperson of Independent Electoral
Commission of South Africa, comprised 30 observers drawn from members of the
African Ambassadors to the AU in Addis Ababa, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP),
Election Management Bodies and civil society organizations.
Their
mission, jointly supported by a technical team from the AUC, PAP and the
Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), was aimed at
making an independent, objective and impartial assessment of the 2017 National
Assembly Elections; and to offer recommendations for improvement of future
elections that will contribute to the consolidation of democratic governance,
peace and stability in the country.
The
AUEOM was mandated to observe the April 6th National Assembly elections in
conformity with the relevant provisions of the African Charter on Democracy,
Elections and Governance (ACDEG),the African Union Guidelines for Elections
Observation And Monitoring Missions as well as the laws of the Republic of The
Gambia.
Their
observations and recommendations were based on the principles of credibility,
transparency, fairness and professionalism in the conduct of the elections as
enshrined in the aforementioned AU instruments.
According
to their report, they were satisfied with the smooth voting process in all the
159 polling stations across the 48 constituencies in the 6 administrative
regions of the country as “no form of irregularities” were observed throughout
the opening, voting and closing procedures.
The
AUEOM assessed The Gambia’s voting system as peculiar, unique and voter
friendly, noting that the adoption of a standard voting system has contributed
to the professionalism of the electoral process as officials have become
familiar with the procedures over time.
They
further noted the low voter turnout in some regions like Banjul, Brikama and
Kanifing.
According
to their preliminary statement, they were satisfied with efforts by
stakeholders such as the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) to ensure
that citizens and political parties embarked on peaceful and issue-based
campaigns but enjoined them to undertake effective measures to sensitize and
mobilize voters for elections to address the low voter turnout observed during
the 2017 National Assembly elections.
They
however called on the government to focus on national reconciliation in view of
the events of December 2016 to January 2017 and encourage the people of The
Gambia to tow the path of peaceful coexistence with mutual respect for
religious, ethnic and political differences.
The
AUEOM commended the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for its professional
conduct of the elections considering the events in the months before the
elections and the time constraints faced by the commission.
They
further commended the IEC for measures undertaken to enhance the integrity and
credibility of the elections aimed at safeguarding the legitimacy of the
election outcome in conformity with the 2007 African Charter on Democracy,
Elections and Governance.