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The EWC is a coalition of seven different CSOs whose goal is to promote fairness, accountability, transparency and impartiality in elections.
“The commission shall appoint a chief electoral officer whose terms and conditions of office shall be stipulated in his letter of appointment,” said Election Commission chairperson Ansumana Camara during the presentation of the commission’s position paper on the bill at the PAG office.
He added: “The Electoral Commission is of the view that the term of office of the Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission should be clearly spelled out in the 2022 Electoral Bill.”
He said this would remove uncertainty about the number of years people would serve as committee chairs.
“As it stands, the chairman’s tenure is not known to the public.”
“Similarly, the bill does not specify the number of commissioners who will be appointed along with the chairman to form the committee,” he argued.
He said the lack of clarity in the bill could lead to a decline in public trust in the country’s electoral process.
Kamara also suggested adding the following clause to the Electoral Bill: “The members of the Commission shall be the Chairman and four other members; the members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President, subject to the approval of the National Assembly by at least 60% of all the members of the National Assembly; the term of office of the members of the Commission shall be seven years and they may be re-elected for one term.”
The committee also expressed concerns about the lack of clarity in the bill regarding the qualifications for committee membership. Kamara said the bill does not clearly define the qualifications for election officials to serve.
“For an independent body of this nature, the qualifications for the position must be stated so that people with good records and character are appointed to discharge the duties,” he said.
In this regard, he suggested the introduction of qualifications and disqualifications for elective positions.
He said a person is eligible to be appointed as a Commissioner or elected officer of the IEC if he is a Gambian citizen; possesses at least a university degree or its equivalent in a relevant field; has declared his assets and liabilities and has paid taxes or has made satisfactory arrangements for the payment of taxes.
“The person should have extensive experience and the ability to handle public affairs and must also have high moral character and integrity,” he said.
He, however, advised that a person who is declared to be of unsound mind and is a member of the National Assembly or any elected public office holder shall not be eligible to hold the position of Chief Electoral Officer or Commissioner of the Independent Electoral Commission if that person has been nominated as a candidate for membership of the National Assembly or any other political office holder within the five years preceding his appointment.
He added that a person may not be appointed to elective office if he or she now holds, or has at any time during the five-year period held, any position in an organization that sponsors or otherwise supports, or has at any time sponsored or otherwise supported a candidate, or if he or she actively associates himself or herself with any such organization.
He also suggested that on the basis of the above qualifications, the Chairman of IEC should be a person who is a judge of the Supreme Court, a retired judge or possesses other relevant qualifications and has integrity, experience and competence.
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