National Youth Parliament Deputy Speaker speaking on behalf of EWC
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Election Watch Committee (EWC) reported incidents of disagreements between party supporters and candidates at different polling stations on Saturday.
The EWC made the remarks on Sunday at a media briefing on its preliminary report on the 9th April Parliamentary election.
Ndegen Jobe, Deputy Speaker, National Youth Parliament (NYP) said during the voting and counting process, the EWC Observers reported some incidents that occurred at their assigned streams, but none of the incidents disrupted the election process.
“There were six reports of campaigning by political parties or candidates. In one polling station in Banjul North, the observer witnessed an argument between party supporters and later between two candidates that resulted in the police being called to disperse the crowd,” she said.
Jobe said the committee has recommended to political parties to ensure that their agents are trained on election procedures and make them understand their role in observing the voting and counting process in future elections.
The Election Watch Committee (EWC) is a partnership of three organizations comprising Peace Ambassador, The Gambia (PAG), Activista, The Gambia and the National Youth Parliament (NYC), which jointly deployed 300 observers across the country to observe the electoral process Saturday.