The chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has told members of the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises Select Committees of the National Assembly that it is  not within the mandate of the Commission to demarcate constituencies or hold both presidential and National Assembly elections together.

Alhaji Mustapha Carayol made this remark while responding to Hon. Sellu Bah, National Assembly member for Basse, who had suggested that the IEC demarcate big constituencies like Kombo North and others, as some of these constituencies are more than some regions, in terms of numbers.

He urged the members to read the Constitution of The Gambia to know that the IEC doesn’t have that mandate. Responding to a questions by Hon. Momodou L.K. Sanneh, Minority leader and National Assembly member for Kiang West as to whether both presidential and National Assembly elections can be held the same day, the IEC boss stated that his institution is planning a new voting period from 8am to 5pm instead of from 7am to 4pm. He explained that this is because experience from past elections show that people do come to the line very late and by the time they are to vote, time would not allow them to cast their vote.

He said the new voting period would hopefully be in force in the next local government election and the 2016 Presidential Election.

Annual report
Delivering his annual activity report before the Public Accounts and Public Enterprises Committees for the year ended 31st December 2010, Carayol said the Commission saw it ripe to introduce a new voter registration technology, adding that the voters card by then were about to complete their life span in terms of technology and durability.

His words: “Furthermore, the legal limit for the conduct of a general registration of voters was also about to be reached and studies were already made to see the feasibility of the introduction of a new system of voter registration and data capture. The period under consideration witnessed a time when the Commission was envisaging the introduction of new technology in helping to better enhance its mandate and to consolidate the gains already made especially in the domain of electoral service delivery and in particular, voter registration and information technology.”

According to him, studies have indicated that The Gambia was ready for the adoption of a new voter registration system. He said in addition to this, a series of stakeholder consultative forums were exploited to seek popular reaction and interest in this prospective venture. He then highlighted some of the programmes undertaken by the Commission in the year under review, key among which were the by-election in Sare Ngai Ward and a series of institutional elections, and international engagements such as election observations and conferences as part of its international cooperation and capacity building endeavour.

The National Assembly members and the subject matter specialists raised concerns, suggestions, questions and comments before finally considering and adopting the IEC annual activity report and financial statements for the year ended 31st December 2010.