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Gambia set for electoral transperancy

  1. Posted on Tuesday 19 January 2010 - 14:51
    Jammeh
    Image of Jammeh
    The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has renewed its commitment to conduct free and fair election in the tiny West African state, after introducing a biometric voter registration system that will cost over US$2,288,930.61.
    However, despite this effort skeptics are still remain doubtful about whether the electoral body will be transparent since the President Jammeh has the powers to appoint and dismiss the IEC leadership.
    Barely two weeks after the IEC invited two international companies CODE Incorporated Digital Registration Solution, a Canadian company headquartered in Ottawa and Zetes PASS of Belgium who are bidding for the lucrative biometric contract, public rumour s revealed that electoral body have begin voter registration ahead of the 2011 presidential election.
    The two companies have presented and demonstrate on how to conduct the exercise in order to convince the IEC to award them the contract.
    The IEC in press release denied rumours that it is carrying out a bona fide voter registration exercise, it says the Commission is not considering registering voters now adding that plans are underway to engage the use of biometric based solutions in the voter registration exercise, but t his would not be until January 2011.
    “That is the reason why two companies, namely, Code Incorporated and Zetes Pass were invited to The Gambia to conduct mock registration exercises from January 14th to January 16th 2010 which will enable both the stakeholders and the Commission to make an informed judgment in the way forward in the electoral process,” the release stated.

    According to the IEC chairman, registration of voters will commence in January 2011 while recruitment and training of electoral staff will be conducted in the last quarter of 2010.

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