West African bloc sends observers to monitor Gambian poll

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has sent 20 observers to observe Gambia’s national assembly elections scheduled for Thursday, said a senior official on Tuesday.

The regional body does not monitor local government and parliamentary elections, but Gambia is an exception, said Halima Ahmed, who is in charge of ECOWAS’ political, peace and security affairs, at a press conference.

This is due to the nature of Gambia’s political transition and the duty of ECOWAS to see the country through to the end, said the official.

Gambians will vote on Thursday to choose their National Assembly members among 239 registered candidates campaigning for 48 seats.

There are 886,000 registered voters, according to the electoral authority of Gambia. Enditem

Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh

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