By Tabora Bojang
The minister of youths and sports Bakary Badjie has said he may not resign from his ministerial job to contest for mayor at KM in May.
Mr Badjie was selected by the governing National Peoples Party as its candidate for KM, but since then Gambians have been keen to know whether he will have to resign or take a leave of absence for him to contest the elections.
Speaking to The Standard during nominations of NPP councillors Monday, Minister Badjie said he would do what the law demand in this circumstance. “The requirement is that I need to be on an administrative leave to contest. So there is nothing like resignation. But like I said it is what the law says that will be done,” he stressed.
Under the 1997 Constitution, any person who holds a publc office and wishes to contest an election for a political office shall, prior to nomination as a candidate, obtain one year’s leave of absence without pay, which leave shall not unreasonably be refused.
It also states that a person who obtained a leave of absence and is elected to a political office shall immediately resign from his or her office in the public service and if he fails to do so be removed from such office.
However, the 1997 Constitution also states that an office in the public service does not include the offices of the president, vice president, speaker or deputy speaker, minister or a member of the National Assembly.
The election for mayors is slated for 20 May.
