By Tabora Bojang
Citizens’ Alliance presidential candidate, Dr Ismaila Ceesay has disclosed he is working on renouncing his Swedish citizenship as he prepares to run for president in the December 4 election.
Under the current 1997 constitution, a person who holds the citizenship or nationality of a country other than The Gambia (dual citizenship) shall not be qualified for election as president.
Dr Ceesay, a former senior lecturer at the University of The Gambia, obtained citizenship in Sweden in the late 1990s, where he began his university education before moving to Scotland to pursue a master’s degree.
Speaking in The Saturday Political Hour show on DHK radio, Dr. Ceesay said he has commenced the process of renouncing his Swedish nationality during his recent visit to that country.
He said the decision against retaining his Swedish citizenship was reached when he threw his hat in the political ring.
“For me, it has always been Gambia and Gambia first which is worth everything for me. Having taken into context the constitutional provision on dual citizenship to contest for presidency, I have made a decision against retaining my Swedish citizenship and I have already carried out all the relevant documentation and filled all the forms and I hope before the nominations, all paper works will be cleared,” Ceesay explained.
