Rohey Malick Lowe, the mayor of Banjul, has urged authorities to act quickly to close what she called a growing breach in the electoral system, warning that many eligible voters run the risk of being disqualified from future national elections due to a lack of official identification.
Lowe emphasized a long-standing arrangement in the capital that previously permitted her office to offer attestations for residents without formal paperwork in a message released on Sunday via her official Facebook page. People were able to register and take part in elections thanks to these attestations. However, she pointed out that a July 2021 High Court decision essentially ended the practice, leaving many locals without a clear substitute.
Lowe stated, “The immediate consequence is that many law-abiding citizens, through no fault of their own, now face the real risk of disenfranchisement simply because they lack formal identification.” He added that the elimination of attestation rights has significantly hampered people’s ability to participate in the democratic process.
Lowe emphasized that the problem goes beyond administrative processes and presented it as a more general issue of inclusion and justice. She noted that Banjul’s people find it more challenging to obtain alternate forms of identification because the city lacks the traditional governmental infrastructure found in other parts of The Gambia.
“If no corrective measures are introduced, the upcoming electoral processes risk being fundamentally unequal for the people of Banjul,” she said.
Lowe demanded immediate action from the National Assembly and the Independent Electoral Commission. She suggested either increasing access to national identification systems or implementing a legitimate substitute attestation method that was adapted to the particular needs of the city.
As she gets ready to step down from office after declaring she won’t run for reelection, she makes her pitch. Ms. Lowe reiterated her dedication to fighting for the rights of Banjul inhabitants in spite of her choice.
She stated, “My decision not to run again does not diminish my responsibility to the people of this city,” pointing out that no workable substitute had been put in place five years after the court decision. In order to guarantee that no citizen is unjustly excluded from the democratic process, she urged institutions to match legislative frameworks with social realities.
