Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Chairman Joseph Colley has attributed the Commission’s inability to independently screen prospective voters to a 2001 amendment to the electoral law, which removed its authority to question applicants about their Gambian citizenship.
Speaking at the IEC’s monthly stakeholders’ forum, Mr. Colley explained that before 2001, the Commission had the power to interview prospective voters and reject applicants whose citizenship was in doubt, even if they presented valid identification documents.
He said that between 1996 and 2001, electoral officials could question applicants, including those presenting passports, if concerns arose about their citizenship. Those whose eligibility was disputed were issued rejection forms and referred to the revising courts for determination.
However, Mr. Colley said a legislative amendment passed in 2001 changed the registration requirements, stripping the IEC of its screening powers and requiring it to register applicants who presented legally accepted identification documents, including attestations.
He said the Commission attempted to reverse the changes in 2019, following nationwide consultations. The IEC proposed restoring its authority to interview prospective voters and removing attestations as an accepted means of identification.
“After 2016 and 2018, the Commission went around the country in 2019 and proposed to Gambians to bring back its powers to interview applicants and to get rid of attestation,” he said.
However, the proposed reforms did not result in the desired legislative changes, leaving the Commission operating under the existing legal framework.
Mr. Colley maintained that the IEC could not be blamed for the current registration procedures, arguing that the Commission was bound by the law and could not exercise powers that Parliament had removed.
He said the issue should serve as a lesson for the judiciary and other electoral stakeholders on the importance of understanding the legal provisions governing voter registration.
