Presidential elections in Gambia 2006
| Distribution of votes |
|---|
|
The 2006 presidential elections in Gambia took place on September 22, 2006 . According to one estimate, the Gambia had 1,641,564 inhabitants that year.
After the second term of five years, incumbent President Yahya Jammeh ran again as a presidential candidate for a third term in a democratic election . Five opposition parties had formed a coalition as the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) and wanted to fight against Jammeh together. They agreed on a common manifesto for this election and the parliamentary elections in 2007 , but split again after they could not agree on a common presidential candidate.
Election preparation
The election was originally supposed to take place in October, but the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) had brought the election date forward by one month at the beginning of June due to Ramadan beginning on September 23 .
From June 19 to July 2, voters were able to register in 836 established polling stations, the so-called registration centers , across the country; the minimum age required was 18 years.
On Monday, August 28, 2006, candidates had to register at the IEC office on Kairaba Avenue in Serrekunda . To do this, they each had to bring 5000 citizens with them, by whom they were nominated. In addition, it was necessary to deposit 10,000 dalasi (around 280 euros). In turn, the candidacy of Yahya Jammeh, Halifa Sallah and Ousainou Darboe was accepted. Only the candidacy of Henry Gomez , who heads the Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress (GPDP), was rejected by the IEC, in accordance with Section 62 (1) (c) of the Constitution . There it says that a candidate must have been resident in Gambia for at least five years before the election. This was not the case with Gomez, he lived in Germany for a long time.
The GPDP and the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) officially supported Darboe's candidacy and thus formed an alliance with the UDP.
The vote
On September 22nd, the day of Friday prayers , the 665,903 previously registered voters were called on to cast their votes from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time. To this end, the IEC increased the number of polling stations from 832 to 938 and the number of counting stations from 28 to 48 this year . Around 300 international observers accompanied and monitored the election. Previously, at the end of the election campaign on Wednesday, September 20, Jammeh confidently stated that, in his opinion, he would rule for another 40 years and the country could develop further. Neither elections nor a coup could bring him out of power. He will punish with disregard all those who do not vote for him and neglect the parts of the country that are not behind him.
The election itself was carried out using a unique system that has existed since 1965. Voters in Gambia, a country where illiteracy is high in rural areas , threw a glass marble into a drum. These were in the colors of the parties (yellow, green and gray) and identified by the party emblem and the candidate's portrait. On the basis of the sound of the marble as it fell in the drum, it was possible to check whether only one vote was actually cast.
According to initial reports, the election itself was calm and peaceful. Despite heavy showers in the eastern part of the Upper River Region around Basse , which were currently falling during the rainy season , a high turnout was expected. When the heavy rain later reached the populous west around Serekunda, most of the citizens had voted. Because of the adverse weather conditions, the polling stations stayed open two and a half hours longer until 6:30 p.m., which the IEC announced to the population via the radio stations.
Election result
Of the 670,336 registered voters, 392,685 votes were cast, making the turnout 58.58 percent. Jammeh was charged with 67.33 percent of the vote again for President with a term chosen by another five years. It had achieved a majority of 47 out of 48 constituencies, even in some of the opposition strongholds.
The following election result was published:
| be right | candidate | Political party |
|---|---|---|
| 67.33% | Yahya Jammeh | Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) |
| 26.69% | Ousainou Darboe | United Democratic Party (UDP) |
| 5.98% | Halifa Sallah | National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ US Census Bureau estimate for 2006, mid-year.
- ↑ Gambia brings polls forward to Sept 22 for Ramadan . ( Memento from June 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Reuters South Africa, June 3, 2006.
- ^ IEC deliberates on supplementary registration process . ( Memento of the original from March 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: The Daily Observer , June 12, 2006.
- ↑ Voter registration starts . ( Memento of the original from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: The Daily Observer , June 20, 2006.
- ^ Gambia: How the Presidential Nomination Went On . ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) August 29, 2006.
- ↑ Q&A Gambia votes September 21, 2006.
- ^ IEC Talks to the Press . ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) August 31, 2006.
- ↑ Presidential election in Gambia, ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. September 21, 2006.
- ↑ President: No matter the election result, I'll stay in power . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.news.yahoo.com, September 20, 2006.
- ↑ Gambians vote with Marbles . ( Memento of the original from March 14, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. September 22, 2006.
- ↑ An Unnatural Tranquility on Election Day . ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) September 22, 2006.
- ^ Presidential election in Gambia ended . September 22, 2006.
- ^ Jammeh re-elected . ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: The Daily Observer , September 26, 2006.
