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Momodou
Denmark
11835 Posts |
 Posted - 26 Sep 2006 : 14:42:03
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ANOTHER FIVE YEARS FOR JAMMEH
By Baboucarr Ceesay
Gambians went to the poll on Friday, 22nd September 2006 to decide who to entrust with their sovereign power to preside over the affairs of this country.
As the third Presidential election under the Second Republic, this election is one of the most talked about red letters day of the year. The three aspirants for presidency were Mr. Halifa Sallah of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), Lawyer Ousainou Darboe of United Democratic Party (UDP) and the incumbent Yahya Jammeh of the Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC).
Voting commenced at 7.00 am. During the electoral process, reports reached Foroyaa that the Electoral Codes of conduct in certain areas are breached. This reporter went to the Senegambia Garage in Dippa Kunda to investigate the matter and he found a man who seemed to be in his 60s and a young woman (confirmed to be APRC members) were sitting near polling station B100 as if they have an influential role to play in the casting of votes by the electorate. A party agent intervened, but the man resisted until the NADD patrol team arrived and convinced him of the unconstitutionality of his presence on the voting ground. He said that he was waiting for his party chairman and 'Yai compins' to meet him on the ground; that he was the one who provided chairs for the polling staff. But the young woman in accompany cunningly vacated the premises whilst the man kept a distance away from the polling station.
At this juncture, the police officers at the polling station in collaboration with the Presiding Officer started to prevent people hanging or loitering around the polling station.
In a similar case, a van wagon, Mercedes Benz numbered BJL 4905 D was found parked at a junction between polling station B98 and B99in Dippa Kunda with an APRC flag. The flag was untied from the mirror of the transport upon the intervention of the NADD vigilant patrol team.
However, voting went smoothly in Farato and Brikama despite apparent signs of voters apathy. There was a low turn out of voters in polling station like C162A Brikama Neema Geebungoto, C62 Brikama Neema Geebungoto IEC and C163 Brikama Neemataba Girl Guides Center. In some stations there were few or virtually no person in queues before Friday Prayers.
This reporter met four young women on the way from Brikama Gidda Bantaba polling station C165A. These young women were loudly complaining about threats made by the President during the campaign. When interrupted with questions by our reporter they all indicated that they are definitely intimidated by the statements that the head of state made during the campaign that neither coup d'etat nor election can unseat him. The most out spoken woman among them (name withheld) said that her parents did not vote and advised her not to vote because Jammeh is capable of creating chaos in the country if he should loose his seat.
"Let's leave the sleeping dog to lie; no matter what, let there be peace, if we can manage to survive the situation," she melancholically remarked.
In Gunjur and Brufut during the voting the atmosphere was normal and tranquil and voter turnout was considerably better. A presiding officer in a certain polling station in Gunjur revealed that there are several people whose names were neither in the counter foil nor in the voters list but hold voters cards and were all rejected by his polling staff.
Foroyaa went to station C44 and C45 at Kafuta at around 3.40pm shortly before the curtain of the election was drawn but voters only turn up at random and always in small numbers. The presiding officers said that the turnout was better only in the morning.
When the ballot drums were sealed at 4.00pm, this reporter went to the counting center for Kombo East at the Baffrow complex in Mandinaba. Counting started at eleven to 2.00pm. Though the counting was transparent but the security outnumbered the people at the counting center.
At the end of the whole electoral process Yahya Jammeh of APRC scored 264,404, Ousainou Darboe of UDP/NRP/GPDP alliance scored 104,808 and Halifa Sallah of NADD polled 23,473. President Jammeh got a 67.3% of the total number of votes cast.
Source: FOROYAA Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 81/2006, 26 - 26 September, 2006
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mbay
Germany
1007 Posts |
Posted - 26 Sep 2006 : 16:40:29
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| Thank you for providing us with this information’s, but what about the country side, you didn’t mention anything of, even if the most votes are coming from those corners of the country? And what happing to the people there are they all well and also in your tension? |
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