IEC Chairman Blames 2001 Law Amendment for Loss of Voter Screening Powers

By Makutu Manneh

Joseph Colley, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), has attributed the commission’s inability to screen prospective voters to a 2001 legislative amendment that stripped it of the authority to question applicants about their citizenship during voter registration.

Speaking at the IEC’s monthly stakeholders’ forum, Colley said the commission previously had the power to interview applicants and reject those whose Gambian citizenship was in doubt.

He explained that between 1996 and 2001, electoral officials could question prospective voters even when they presented valid identification documents, including passports. Applicants whose citizenship was questioned were issued rejection forms and referred to the revising courts for further determination.

However, Colley said Parliament amended the law in 2001, removing the commission’s screening authority and requiring it to register applicants who present legally accepted identification documents, including attestations.

The IEC chairman said the commission sought to reverse those changes in 2019, following nationwide consultations aimed at restoring its authority to interview prospective voters and eliminating the use of attestations in voter registration.

“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,” Colley said.

He noted that the proposal failed to produce the desired changes.

Colley maintained that the commission should not be blamed for the current registration procedures, stressing that its responsibilities are determined by law and that it has no authority to act outside the existing legal framework.

He said the issue should serve as a lesson for the judiciary and other electoral stakeholders, underscoring the importance of understanding the legal provisions governing voter registration.