Written by Ebrima Jaw Manneh    Wednesday, 07 September 2005
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) yesterday announced that it has registered a total of 263 voter transfers nationwide, ahead of the September 29 by-elections.
This figure, spelt out in a letter IEC sent to the opposition Nadd, belies Hamat Bah’s claims that about 2,000 voters had been transferred to his constituency, Upper Saloum, alone.

In the letter, the IEC expressed its disappointment at Nadd’s handling of the situation, in spite of its chairman’s assurance to publish the results of the exercise.

Below we reproduce the full text of the IEC letter:

Your open letter to the IEC was found to be most unhelpful in the run-up to the coming by-elections.  IEC is particularly disappointed that in spite of the chairman’s assurance to Mr Sarr of NADD that the results of the recent IEC exercise would be published, you chose to carry the claim made by Mr Hamat Bah that the IEC has effected the transfers of 2,500 voters to Upper Saloum constituency.  You are now in possession of the result as promised by the chairman.   For the information of the general public, the IEC has 7 regional offices, namely: Basse, Janjanbureh, Mansakonko, Kerewan, Brikama, Kanifing, and Banjul.  The result of the exercise of transfers and replacements of voters’ cards from all the regional officers at the request  of individual voters is as follows: Basse: 173 replacements, 14 transfers; Janjanbureh: 249 replacements, 129 transfers; Mansakonko: 41 replacements, no transfers; Kerewan: 26 replacements, 4 transfer; Brikama: 91 replacements, 25 transfers; Kanifing:
 60 replacements, 25 transfers; Banjul: 93 replacements and 55 transfers.

This represents a national total of 263 transfers to and from any part of the country.  This is clearly very different  from the claim made in your letter of the 2,500 voters transferred into Upper Saloum alone.

The IEC only acts on the requests of individual electors in exercises of this kind and not at the request of political parties.

The other disappointment has to do with what seems to be your objection to the withdrawal of ID cards and voters cards from non-Gambians whose false testimonies led to obtaining them in the first place.  The Immigration Department and the IEC could not have knowingly issued them in the first place.

Finally, the IEC  would like to express its gratitude to you for the regular publication of the relevant sections of the constitution and the electoral decree for the IEC is certain that many people will be benefiting from it.


Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 September 2005 )


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