The nationwide exercise commenced on 29th of May and is expected to end on July 11th 2021. Registering to vote is an important exercise that is incumbent on every Gambian above the age of 18.
However, this forthcoming election, which is the first since the oust of former dictator, Yahya Jammeh, is expected to be a litmus taste for the country’s promising democracy.
A total of one million Gambians are expected to be registered ahead of December polls. Going by the look of things, the nationwide exercise is indeed on the right footings, as alluded to by various political party leaders, who are also taking part in the exercise.
On Wednesday, the secretary general and party leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, was among those who turned up to register at the Sabina Registration Center in Fajara.
After going through the usual normal process, he described the overall process as "satisfactory".
He, however, called on the public, especially the youth folks to turn in their numbers and get registered as it a ‘civic duty’.
Nonetheless, just like any voter registration across the globe, there are hitches here and there. And The Gambia case is not an exception. Darboe, however, urged those responsible to address the hiccups.
He also debunked it as false that his party agents intimidated people in some registration centers. He even expressed shock that his party targeted the Fulani tribe, something he rubbished as untrue.
What is even important about this year’s voter registration is that a record number of new voters will also have their say in the way we want our country to be governed.
To these new voters, your vote is your power. Don’t only register for the sake of registering, but demonstrate your constitutional rights on the voting day. We have to bear in mind that the future of this great nation of ours depends on our votes.
As the country brace up for the December Polls, it is a civic duty of all to maintain the peace the country has been known for.
The Smiling Coast of Africa has earned this name not just for a mere fantasy, but it for a genuine reason. It is only in the Smiling Coast where smile is a genuine one. So let’s watch each other’s back. Together we can build a greater nation!