(JollofNews) – Campaigning for December 1st presidential polls kicked off in the Gambia, after the main opposition figure called for transparent and fair ballots.
Candidates contesting next month’s presidential election in the Gambia have today launched their campaign with incumbent Yahya Jammeh setting the ball rolling.
Mr Jammeh of the ruling APRC and his challengers Mamma Kandeh, leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress and Adama Barrow who is being backed by a coalition of eight opposition parties will take part in a two/weeks long campaign which will take them to the 53 constituencies in the seven administrative regions of the country.
The Gambia with a population of less than two million, will hold presidential election on 1st December with 886, 578 Gambians expected to vote, according official figures from the electoral commission.
Ahead of the polls, the special representative of the UN secretary general for West Africa and Sahel urged Gambia’s government to release an opposition leader and dozens of his supporters from prison.
The country operates a simple majority vote system. The electoral commission has this year introduced an ‘on the spot vote count system’ to increase transparency and a candidate who has a simple majority of votes would be declared winner.
