The recommendation was made last Friday during a Stakeholders’ Dialogue on the Election Watch Committee (EWC) Final Observation Report at Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Center. The aim is to make The Gambia’s election processes more peaceful, transparent, inclusive and credible, thereby boosting citizens’ confidence in the Electoral System.
Ndegen Jobe, deputy speaker of the National Youth Parliament, while delivering the report on the key findings and recommendations for an improved electoral system, cycle and procedures, also recommended that IEC enhance the training of its staff to making sure they adequately understand election procedures, rules and regulations including the role of observers in the process to avoid any confusion.
She also recommended that IEC alongside civil society, conduct widespread voter information campaigns sufficiently ahead of the voter registration and the display and appeal process to ensure that citizens are aware of the processes and how to participate.
The EWC further recommended that IEC work in collaboration with CSOs, the Inter-Party Committee (IPC) and lawmakers to review the Electoral Act to address the widespread use of attestation by citizens, as well as institute a legislation and an independent oversight agency campaign financing.
It also recommended that IEC clarify and communicate collation procedures and locations in a more timely manner to ensure observers are able to fulfill their role in observing all the process; reconsider the process for allowing those on official duty be given Duty Certificate to vote during elections both presidential and National Assembly elections. This includes security officers, polling officers assigned to a polling station assignment as well as observers, the media, and party agents participating in the election process.
The EWC went on to recommend that IEC ensure polling locations are accessible to all voters, particularly the elderly and persons with disabilities. In addition, take additional measures to make the process more accessible such as allocating all polling streams on flatland for PWDs, written material for the hearing impaired and listing the candidates’ names in Braille on the ballot drums for visually impaired voters.
It also recommended for IEC to ensure that ballot tokens are counted at the polling station before the start of each voting process. It also encouraged IEC to appoint more women as presiding officers in future elections.
Artan Alijaj, Senior Resident Director for the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), said they would work with relevant partners to see that the recommendations are implemented.
He added that the deployment of election observers across various polling stations in the country also shows the credibility of election processes.
Meanwhile, the Election Watch Committee that also works in partnership with Peace Ambassadors – The Gambia, ACTIVISTA and the National Youth Parliament is being financed with assistance from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and technical support from the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI).
