By Tabora Bojang
A number of political parties including the ruling National People’s Party have failed to hold their congress as recommended by the Independent Electoral Commission in line with the electoral law.
The 2015 Elections Amendment law requires parties to hold a congress at least every two years. According to the IEC, 16 political parties who were due to hold their congresses were written to and reminded to hold their congress as required by the law.
As of 31st December, 2024, only 11 political parties held a congress out of the 16 parties that were notified. The commission said parties that held congress are: United Democratic Party, Gambia Democratic Congress, Gambia Action Party, All Peoples Party (APP-Sobeyaa), National Unity Party, National Convention Party, People’s Progressive Party, Gambia Alliance for National Unity, Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress, Alliance for National Re-orientation and Development, and People’s Alliance Party.
The IEC said five other parties were due to hold their congresses but did not do so and they have written to the commission seeking extension.
They are: National People’s Party, Citizens’ Alliance, National Reconciliation Party, Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction, and Gambia For All party.
“These parties wrote and the commission accepted to give them an extension for them to conduct their congresses as expected. We will send them a reminder to conduct it as soon as practicable,” IEC communication director Pa Makan Khan told The Standard yesterday. Khan however added: “It is important to note that the congress is only one of the many electoral law requirements. As a commission, we will encourage them to fulfill other requirements as per the Election Amendment Act of 2015 and that include the submission of their audited financial statements and to provide us evidence of the existence of all their regional bureaus.”
He also explained that congress date depends on when last a political party holds one, which is why parties like People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism, Gambia Moral Congress, and Democratic Party are not due since its not yet two years since they held last congresses.
Asked if this acceptance of extension would not vindicate critics of the IEC who accused it of being weak and ineffectual in the enforcement of the electoral law especially against incumbent parties, Director Khan replied: “Even though these are laws, we prefer to do engagements because it is more practicable than sanctions. The sanction is too harsh. So we try to engage and when engagement fails, we look for suspension and if that does not work we can deregister a political party as our last resort. But there is a process in place that we seek to engage the political parties because these are important stakeholders in the governance structure of this country. For now we hope to engage them to conduct their congresses as required by law.”
