This is a very new concept and people have different views about it. The party leaders who are the play makers should be consulted and agree on a common strategy to either reject or opt for the paper ballots.
If they agree on paper ballot, voters should be well educated about the new system.
Mr. President, since the country is faced with financial constraints, it would be better if we go back to the old system of the first Republic by conducting both the presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day.
Since the separation of the two, voter turnout in parliamentary elections tends to be very low compared with turn out in presidential elections.
Mr. President, the number of registered political parties is going high, so far 16 parties have registered and more are even expected to come before the elections. This is becoming a concern comparing the political parties to the population of the country.
The IEC, in the future should introduce more strict laws for forming and registering a party.
Mr. President, the initiative of Anti Corruption Gambia to enact laws for political parties to reveal to the public their sources of funding during campaign and for candidates to desist for using abusive languages, tribalism and religion is highly welcomed. Such actions should not be condoned in any platforms.
Mr. President, voter registration is expected to kick off in mid January 2021. It is the duty of politicians to be very vigilant to monitor the situation and make sure that no disqualified persons are registered rather than waiting till after a winner is declared for them to start pinpointing issues of election frauds.
Finally Mr. President, COVID-19 is still around and majority of the people are not honouring WHO rules again.
Social gatherings like weddings, parties, funerals etc. have restarted without people wearing masks or observing social distancing.
The sensitasation should continue to avoid the second wave of the COVID-19 which is now causing serious harm in Europe and the U.S.
We should be mindful and maintain strict measures especially at the borders to avoid imported cases into the country.
Good day!