The Electoral Commission of the presidential elections maintains that it is the fairest system because it allows illiterates to vote
The voters of the Gambia use in the presidential elections that take place from last Thursday to this Sunday a system that replaces the traditional ballots with marbles and that has been endorsed by the Independent Electoral Commission of the African country for being “more transparent, credible and fair »Since it allows the illiterate to vote. “Nobody can fix it”, assured the president of the organization, Alieu Momarr Njai, in a press conference. “It is simple, very basic and costs less than a new system. It is a fairly reliable, “he added.
This striking designation process, which was already developed 60 years ago, gives each registered voter a marble to deposit on the drums that have photographs corresponding to the presidential candidates. After the end of the voting, the drums are emptied and the balls are placed in trays, each with 200 or 500 holes. This system also allows officers a quick count.
The electoral campaign, however, has received severe international criticism, with accusations to the government of intimidating the voter and suppressing the opposition. On the eve of the elections, the internet and telephone lines were blocked in The Gambia and remained so until the polls opened. A strong presence of paramilitary forces was even denounced in the polling stations.
In October, Human Rights Watch condemned the arrest of more than 90 opposition protesters, including the leader of the largest Gambian opposition party, the United Democratic Party (UDP). The country’s current president, Yahya Jammeh, who has been in power for twenty-two years and is running for his fifth term, is up against the opposition candidate, Adama Barrow.
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