Cherno Jallow Says IEC Cannot Act on UNITE Complaint Before Campaign Period

The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission cannot intervene in political meetings held outside the official campaign period, vice chairman Cherno Jallow says, responding to a complaint by UNITE about a government event scheduled for nomination day. UNITE objected to a planned presidential road-opening ceremony in Abuko on Saturday, the same day the party is due to nominate its candidates. Senior party official Tombong Saidy said UNITE intended to hold a rally at the Buffer Zone afterward, close to the location of the government function. He warned that the area can draw large political crowds. Jallow told The Standard he had not yet seen UNITE’s formal complaint. But he said the commission could not rule on meetings or take action of that kind before the campaign period begins. The campaign, he said, is scheduled to start on November 16. According to Jallow, the IEC will reconcile campaign itineraries with political parties a day before the campaign opens. He said complaints about campaign activities could be addressed during that process, but the commission could not act on the matter while the campaign period was still ahead. A UNITE official maintained that nomination day is naturally a day of IEC supervision and urged the government to move the road inauguration to another date. The dispute therefore centres on whether the planned ceremony should be reconsidered before the parties begin their official campaign activities.