By Alhagie Jobe
The Fatu Network has obtained credible information that President Yahya Jammeh made a last minute cancelation of the scheduled Inter-Party MoU signing ceremony to take place Tuesday at the Kairaba Beach Hotel ahead of elections.
The Memorandum of Understanding content aimed at reaching an agreement between political parties to maintain peaceful election was agreed by all political parties registered by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
According to sources, President Jammeh who is also the leader of the ruling APRC party decided in last hours to indefinitely postponed the meeting without any advance reason to the public.
Signatories to the MoU would have committed themselves to the code of conduct alongside that of IEC, to guide their activities in general and their conduct in the lead up to the 2016 presidential elections in particular. The code of conduct includes compliance with the constitution and other laws; respect for life of political parties to campaign freely and to disseminate their political ideas and principles without fear; respect for freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly and of peaceful demonstration provided permit is obtained.
It will also ensure avoiding the use of inflammatory or defamatory language, desisting from threatening or inciting violence, not seeking in any way to influence or use other arms of government for political purposes, refraining from using civil servants and government resources for campaign purposes etc.
The Gambia heads to the polls on December 1st with three presidential aspirants including incumbent President Yahya Jammeh who is seeking for a fifth term. He is being challenged by a coalition of six parties and an independent candidate headed by Adama Barrow and the other opposing single party of The Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) party of Mama Kandeh.
Meanwhile, nominations for aspiring candidates for the upcoming presidential election opened Monday, November 7th, with Mama Kandeh of the Gambia Democratic Congress party submitting his nomination paper and accepted by the electoral commission.
The coalition of parties with standard bearer Adama Barrow will submit their nomination papers on Wednesday while incumbent President Yahya Jammeh and his APRC party will follow on Thursday before campaign opens the following week.
