By Omar Bah
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has begun cracking down on non-compliant political parties, warning that failure to adhere to the Elections Act may result in suspension or deregistration.
IEC spokesperson Pa Makan Khan told The Standard on Tuesday that the commission will no longer tolerate disregard for electoral laws, amid concerns over procedural lapses and briefcase parties.
He said the IEC recently dispatched a team to inspect party bureaus nationwide.
“The team is currently preparing a report for potential action.”
According to the Elections Act, political parties must submit audited financial statements, hold national congresses, and adhere to internal democracy mandates. The IEC is empowered under Section 102 of the Elections Act to act decisively against parties that fail to submit audited financial statements, hold required national congresses, or adhere to internal democracy mandates.
“The IEC is considering this very seriously because we cannot just have briefcase political parties. We have to have functional political parties that are duly registered and representative of Gambians,” Mr Khan said.
Credibility concerns
Reacting to the recent opinion poll published by CepRass, Mr Khan said: “We don’t operate based on polls but law. The IEC has a constitutional mandate to conduct all public elections and referenda and there are expressed procedures and laws on how to go about that. I think so far, we have been doing that. But if anyone sees things differently, then that is it but we always try to fully apply the provision of the law in managing the electoral processes of The Gambia.”
He argued that the IEC is one of the most transparent electoral bodies in Africa.
“Our system is rig-proof, especially during the previous electoral circle. The IEC received commendation from many stakeholders for a job well done. So I think polls are the opinions of people. If there was that much low trust about the IEC, Gambians would not have come out in their large numbers to vote in the 2021 presidential election.”
He said political parties only complain when they lose elections.
“If they win, everything is good but when they lose, nothing is good. We are familiar with this. However, we are focused on our mandate of conducting free, fair and transparent elections,” he said.
Mr Khan said the IEC is committed to ensure functional, representative parties and credible elections in December.
