Presidential candidate without high school qualification ineligible – legal expert

By Lamin Jahateh

Lawyer Malick H.B. Jallow

Based on the Constitution of The Gambia, any candidate who does not have evidence of completing a minimum of senior secondary school education is deemed ineligible to be president, said a legal expert.

Malick H.B. Jallow, legal practitioner and senior law lecturer at the University of The Gambia, said the rationale for minimum education requirement stipulated in the constitution for president is to ensure that presidential candidates have a sufficient amount of exposure to formal education that will enable them deal effectively with the role of president.

The Point newspaper recently had an exclusive interview with Lawyer Jallow on the legal interpretation of Section 62 of the Constitution, which outlines the minimum requirement to be president.

Gambia Election Commission Calls for Synchronization of National Elections

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has called for the harmonization of the presidential, legislative and local government elections of The Gambia.

Alhaji Mustapha L. Carayol

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chairman of the IEC

Speaking to the state TV, the Gambia Radio and Television Services on Wednesday, Alhaji Mustapha L. Carayol, chairman of the IEC said it will be very cost effective if the three elections are synchronized – held on the same -instead of organizing three different election for each, the administration of which is very cost intensive.

The call by the IEC is very important particularly now that donors and many international agencies that used to help the country with logistics and finances to conduct national elections are reluctant to do it now.

The Gambia holds presidential and National Assembly elections every five years and Local Government elections every four years.

The cost of voter registration exercise for these three set of elections, according to the IEC, is D65, 297,506 (approximately US$2m). During this election cycle, the said cost has been entirely financed by the government as no donor agency came forward to fund despite appeals to do so.