President
Adama Barrow has announced he will register his own political party before the
end of December 2019.
Mr.
Barrow made the disclosure at the climax of his Meet the People Tour held in
Banjul over the weekend.
Barrow,
who said his party was set for registration claims majority of Gambians he met
during the tour asked him to form a political party that will contest for the
upcoming 2021 Presidential Elections. He added that Gambians have already
spoken their minds and given their consent for him to form a political party.
“After
all meetings we had with people across the regions in the country, Lower River
Region, Central River Region, North Bank Region, Upper River Region, West Coast
Region, Kanifing Municipality and Banjul asked me President Barrow to form my
own political party and I am here today, affirming that I am going to register
my own party before the end of December and which will also be launched in
January, 2020.”
“This
is what I was waiting from Gambians to decide whether I should form my own
political party or not, and now; as you have already decided for me to form a
political party, this is to inform you that before the end of December, I will
register my party and launch it in 2020,” Barrow declared.
“We
do not want you as Gambians to be afraid of us because it is you who have voted
us in power and tasked us to work for the development of the country. And that
is why before we do anything as a government, we must first seek your consent
as citizens.”
In
The Gambia the signature of about 10,000 registered voters and a deposit
of D1 million are required by the election laws for an aspiring political party
before being accepted; and just
recently a newly political party has registered with IEC totaling the country’s
political parties to 11. However, 30 other more parties are also expected to
register with the Independent Electoral Commission in the very near future.
