The special representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has called for a transparent and peaceful presidential election in The Gambia, come December 1.
He
made this call at a press conference held yesterday at the UN library, UN
House, in Bakau Cape Point.
Mr
Chambas is currently in The Gambia on a two-day consultative meeting, in the
context of the ongoing electoral process in The Gambia, with senior government
officials, development partners, NGOs, as well as representatives and leaders
of political parties.
‘’The
UN is appealing for the holding of a transparent presidential election, and I
would like to stress the importance of a level playing field as a key
precondition,” he said.
He
also reminded the government of its obligations stemming from the ECOWAS
protocol on democracy and good governance, as well as the AU African Charter on
Democracy, Elections and Governance.
Mr
Chambas stressed the primordial role of a strong, independent and professional
electoral commission, and heaped praises on the IEC Chairman’s commitment to
uphold electoral integrity and the principles of electoral democracy, ethical
conduct, accuracy and transparency.
He
said he was pleased with the outcome of his various interactions with the
members of the inter-party-committee, civil society representatives, as well as
members of the diplomatic community during his previous visits, which provided
an opportunity to discuss issues.
He
also said concrete steps should be taken to contribute to creating the
conditions for the successful conduct of a credible and peaceful presidential
election.
Chambas
added that civil society organisations have an important oversight role to play
in each society and, especially so, during the electoral period.
‘’I
would like to call on Gambian civil society organisations, religious and
traditional leaders, women and youth organisations, as well as other
stakeholders, to stay actively involved and to contribute to safeguard the
principles of an open, transparent and peaceful electoral process.’’
He
also urged and reminded members of the security forces of their duty to provide
security for the electoral process, including the protection of all candidates
and voters, and to also avoid public display of loyalty to any political party.
He
urged the police and other security services to “discharge their noble
responsibilities in a diligent, impartial, professional and strictly apolitical
manner.’’
He
called on political parties and the presidential candidates to defend not only
the interest of their own party and supporters, but also to safeguard the unity
of the whole nation.
“I
urge all political parties to make use of the existing mechanisms, like the
inter-party committee, to engage in meaningful dialogue as a means to resolve
disputes peacefully and in the spirit of cooperation.
Death
of Solo Sandeng
Dr
Ibn Chambas further highlighted cases of deaths of opposition party members
like Solo Sandeng and Krummah.
“We
observed a pre-election atmosphere more conducive to the functioning of the
political parties,” he said, adding: “It is against this background that I
reiterate the calls by UN and other partners on the government to conduct an
independent investigation into the deaths in custody of Ebrima Solo Krummah and
Solo Sandeng.’’
The
UN SG’s envoy for West Africa further stated: “I entreat the government to
release the thirty protestors involved in the April demonstrations, as well as
the fourteen others who are in pre-trial detention following the May
demonstration.
“It
is also my expectation that in the post-electoral period, the government would
conduct a review of existing legislation pertaining to the exercise of the
right to assembly and peaceful demonstration.”
Dr
Ibn Chambas commended the Gambian people for their strong attachment to
democracy manifested by the animated campaigns of the various political
parties, and called on them to collectively work towards a successful election.
“While
I renew the commitment of the United Nations to accompany the people of The
Gambia throughout the elections of 2016 and beyond, I also call on all Gambians
to commit, individually and collectively, to working towards a successful 2016
presidential election.”
