Fifty-four women and four persons with disability (PWDs) shall be contesting in Gambia’s forthcoming local government elections.
These candidates are among the 367 candidates that have been nominated to run for various seats, stated the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
According to the IEC, 68 are independent candidates while the rest (299 candidates) are nominated under various parties.
The ruling National People’s Party and the United Democratic Party stood out, with each nominating 99 and 102 respectively.
However, Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) also nominated 36, the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) nominated 27 candidates, the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC) nominated 17, and the People’s Progressive Party nominated 9 candidates.
One of NPP’s allies, NRP, nominated 4 candidates, PAP nominated 2 candidates, while APP, GFA and GMC nominated 1 each. No candidate was nominated by either ANRD, CA, GAP, GPDP, NCP or NUP.
The IEC has also outlined that it objected to and dismissed 1 nomination, another candidate withdrew and two others were rejected. One of the rejected candidates was replaced before the end of the nominations.
