Armed Men Attack Libya's Appeals Court Set To Examine Seif Gadhafi's Disqualification From December 24 Polls

 Armed men have led an attack on a Libya appeals court as it was set to re-examine an earlier decision that disqualified the son of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi from running for president.

On Thursday, armed men surrounded the court in the southern town of Sabha and prevented judges from convening to look into Seif al-Islam Gadhafi’s appeal. Earlier, the country’s electoral body had deemed Seif al-Islam ineligible to take part in the presidential race set for next month, citing his previous convictions.

“Attacks against judicial or election facilities or judicial or elections personnel are not only criminal acts, punishable under Libyan law, but (they) also undermine Libyans’ right to participate in the political process,” the United Nations Mission in Libya tweeted.

Libya is set to hold the first round of presidential elections on Dec. 24, after years of U.N.-led attempts to usher in a more democratic future and end the country’s civil war. However, the upcoming vote faces many challenges including unresolved issues over laws governing the elections, and occasional infighting among armed groups. Other obstacles include the deep rift that remains between the country’s east and west and the presence of thousands of foreign fighters and troops.

The country is currently governed by an interim government that was elected by Libyan delegates after U.N.-led talks in Geneva in February.

Libya’s interim Interior Minister Khaled Mazen vowed on Thursday to hunt down and prosecute the assailants. He insisted that the transitional government is keen on securing the electoral process in order to encourage all Libyans to go to the vote, according to Libya’s state-owned news agency.

On Wednesday, High National Elections Committee decided to exclude Seif al-Islam from the race citing his criminal record. Seif al-Islam had been sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in 2015 for using violence against protesters in a 2011 uprising against his father, but that ruling has since been called into question by Libya’s rival authorities. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to the uprising.

Libya electoral commission says Saif Gaddafi ineligible to run

 Libya’s electoral commission has said Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of former ruler Muammar Gaddafi, was ineligible to run in the country’s planned presidential election in December.

Gaddafi was one of 25 candidates disqualified by the commission on Wednesday, in an initial decision pending an appeals process that will ultimately be decided by the judiciary. Some 98 Libyans had registered as candidates.

The military prosecutor in Tripoli had urged the commission to rule out Gaddafi after his conviction in absentia on war crimes charges in 2015 for his part in fighting the uprising that removed his late father in 2011.

Gaddafi at the time appeared via video link from Zintan where he was being held by fighters who captured him as he tried to escape Libya after his father’s overthrow. He denied wrongdoing.

Two other well-known candidates, Ali Zeidan and Nouri Abusahmain, were also excluded.

Disputes over the election rules, including the legal basis of the December 24 vote and who should be eligible to stand, threaten to derail an internationally backed peace process aimed at ending a decade of chaos.

Some of the other candidates initially approved by the commission had also been accused of possible violations by political rivals.

Interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah promised not to run for president as a condition of taking on his present role, and did not stand down from it three months before the vote as is required by a contested election law.

Another prominent candidate, eastern-based renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar, is said to have United States nationality, which could also rule him out. Many people in western Libya also accuse him of war crimes committed during his 2019-20 assault on Tripoli.

Haftar denies war crimes and says he is not a US citizen. Dbeibah has described as “flawed” the election rules issued in September by the parliamentary speaker Aguila Saleh, who is also a candidate.

Source: Al Jazeera

Interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah to run for Libyan presidency

 Libya’s interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has filed an application to run for president in the country’s elections next month despite being barred and previously pledging not to.

Dbeibah is meant to head Libya until a winner is announced following the presidential election on December 24. He submitted his application one day before the November 22 deadline.

The 63-year-old businessman from Misrata promised he would not run in the elections as a condition to taking on his caretaker role earlier this year. For him to be eligible, Dbeibah also would have needed to have suspended himself from governmental duties at least three months before the polling date, which he did not do.

“I present my candidacy papers, to serve you and not for anything else, for the upcoming presidential elections, and we ask God to help us all for the good of the country and the good of this great nation and this great people,” he said during a news conference after submitting his request to the electoral commission.

Parliamentary and presidential elections were demanded by a UN political forum last year as part of a roadmap to end Libya’s civil war, a process that also led to the formation of Dbeibah’s interim unity government.

Dbeibah’s appointment to the premiership 9 months ago was confirmed despite allegations of corruption at meetings of the UN-picked 75-member political dialogue forum that appointed him. The interim leader denied the allegations.

His government was meant to replace the rival administrations based in east and west that had ruled Libya for years.

The electoral commission and Libyan courts are likely to rule on the eligibility of candidates in the coming weeks.

Other candidates set to run in the elections include Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi; Haftar, who commands the Libyan National Army (LNA), which waged war on factions in the west after the country split in 2014; and Speaker of Parliament Aguila Saleh, who has led Libya’s House of Representatives since 2014.

Libya’s Khalifa Haftar announces he will run for December presidential elections

 Eastern military commander Khalifa Haftar has announced that he will run in Libya’s presidential elections due next month, he announced in a televised speech.

“Elections are the only way out of the severe crisis that our country has plunged into,” said Haftar, who was expected to formally register later on Tuesday at the election centre in Benghazi.

Haftar, commander of a force called the Libyan National Army (LNA), waged war on factions in the west after the country split in 2014, including a 14-month offensive to capture Tripoli which was repelled by the internationally recognised government.

Backed by Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, Haftar, a former CIA asset, is a controversial figure, despised by many in western Libya for last year’s devastating Tripoli offensive. He has also been accused of seeking to establish a military dictatorship in the country.

The announcement of his candidacy comes two days after Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former leader Muammar Gaddafi, registered as a presidential candidate.

On September 22, Haftar provisionally retired from his role as head of the LNA in line with electoral law to allow him to run for president.

Following the announcement, Haftar is expected to head to the electoral authority to formalise his candidacy.

The election is meant as a milestone in the political process to knit Libya back together after a decade of chaos that spiralled out of the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew Muammar Gaddafi.

However, with no clear agreement on the legal basis for the election, major factions may reject the vote.

A major conference in Paris on Friday agreed to sanction those who disrupt or prevent the vote, but there is still no agreement on rules to govern who should be able to run.

Source: Al Jazeera

Wanted Gaddafi's Son Announce Candidacy For Libya's Presidential Elections In December

The son of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has announced his candidacy for the country's presidential elections next month.

Seif al-Islam submitted his candidacy papers in the southern town of Sabha, 650km (400 miles) south of the capital of Tripoli, the High National Elections Commission said in a statement.

Seif al-Islam is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity related to the 2011 uprising that saw his father toppled after more than 40 years in power.

Muammar Gaddafi was later killed amid the ensuing civil war, and his son captured by fighters.

Seif al-Islam, who was seen as the reformist face of Gaddafi's regime before the uprising, was released in June 2017 after more than five years of detention.

He has appeared for the first time in public in five years in a video shared by an election official following the announcement of his candidacy bid.

Wearing a traditional Libyan robe, turban and spectacles, the 49-year-old spoke to the camera and said that God will decide the right path for the country's future.

Political parties and the UN have failed to unite the country since the 2011 violence left Libya split between rival governments - one based in the capital, Tripoli, and the other in the eastern part of the country.

Seif al-Islam is also a divisive figure as he is wanted by the International Criminal Court over crimes allegedly committed in the first weeks of the uprising.

ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah declined to comment on Seif al-Islam's candidacy, saying the court "does not comment on political issues".

Gaddafi's son, who has deep-rooted links to tribes across Libya, is the first major presidential hopeful to submit his candidacy to run for the country's highest post.

Also widely expected to announce their bids are powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter, parliament speaker Agila Saleh and former interior minister Fathi Bashaga.

Abdel-Rahman el-Swahili, a lawmaker from Misrata, voiced his rejection of Seif al-Islam's candidacy, saying that Gaddafi's son should be prosecuted not running for president.

"Those who believe in the possibility of Libya's returning to the era of dictatorship after all these sacrifices, are delusional," he wrote on Facebook.

The election agency began the registration process for presidential and parliamentary hopefuls last week.

Seif al-Islam's candidacy came after an international conference in Paris on Friday expressed support for holding "free, fair, inclusive and credible presidential and parliamentary elections" on 24 December.

Source: Sky News

#GambiaElection: Get familiar with the 6 leading candidates

 West African Country, Gambia will be heading to the polls on December 4 to elect the country's next President after Adama Barrow.

This will be the first election in over two decades not involving exiled leader Yahya Jammeh. Five candidates are seeking to unseat the incumbent, Adama Barrow who took over the country after Jammeh fled.

21 presidential candidates filed to contest for the Gambia presidency. But earlier this week, the country's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) disqualified 15 of the presidential hopefuls bringing the list to 6. The only female presidential aspirant in the race, Marie Sock was also disqualified for not meeting citizenship requirements. She revealed she was still a US citizen at the time of filing to contest.

As the people of Gambia prepare to take this big step in their governance to select a leader for the next 5 years, we present what you need to know about the 6 presidential candidates.

Adama Barrow

Adama Barrow is the incumbent President of Gambia and a leading candidate in the presidential race. Fairly popular prior to the 2016 elections, Adama Barrow unseated dictator, Yahya Jammeh on the ticket of a coalition opposition.

While Jammeh refused to step down from office following his defeat, Barrow was sworn into office in the capital of Senegal, Dakar.

Barrow promised to serve three years as a transitional leader but refused to step down and finished his 5-year term. He later left the coalition which brought him to power and launched his own National People's Party (NPP) in 2019.

In his bid for a second term, his NPP formed a controversial alliance with exiled Jammeh's party. Jammeh's victims who were disgruntled by the alliance believe it will bring Jammeh back to the country's political space and leave him unpunished.

Ousainou Darboe

Once detained by Yahya Jammeh's government and hit with a 3-year prison sentence for his role in a protest against the death of an activist, Ousainou Darboe was a longtime arch rival of the exiled dictator who led The gambia for over two decades.

Darboe led the largest political opposition in the country known as the United Democratic Party (UDP). With his strong force, he gave Barrow his blessings to lead the opposition coalition against Jammeh in 2016 which saw the dictator toppled in a humiliating defeat.

Darboe will later serve as a foreign minister and one of the three vice presidents under Adama Barrow. He was sacked by Barrow in March 2019 for reportedly refusing to endorse his bid for a second presidential term.

The 73-year-old remains Barrow's strongest opponent as far as the December 4 polls is concerned.

Essa Mbye Faal

Faal is a renowned Gambian international lawyer and defense counsel at the International Criminal Court. He became very popular in The Gambia following the setting up of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRCC) to conduct an investigation into human right violations under the Jammeh administration. 

Faal was the lead prosecutor of the TRCC for 3 years. He however believes that the Barrow-led administration is not interested in the outcomes of the investigations.

He announced his bid in August to contest in the December 4 elections as an independent candidate. In a recent interview with a local media house, Faal said he doesn't see himself joining any political party because it will be difficult to change their thinking and ideas towards turning Gambia around.

Mama Kandeh

Mama Kandeh was a former presidential candidate in the historic 2016 polls which saw Yahya Jammeh removed from office. He came 3rd in the polls. The 56-year-old formed the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) following his expulsion from APRC.

While in the APRC, won a parliamentary seat by defeating Barrow back in 2007.

This will be the politician's second presidential race after he was sacked from the APRC in 2013.

Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh

Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh was an aviation Chief at the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority for 9 years after joining the authority in 1997.

He is the National Unity Party Secretary-General and flagbearer for the December 4 elections.

Halifa Sallah

Halifa Sallah is the leader of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS). He is currently a lawmaker for Serekunda Constituency.

From a presidential candidate for PDOIS in 2016, Sallah became a spokeperson for Adama Barrow after his party joined the determined opposition to unseat Yahya Jammeh. After the election, he turned down a cabinet role and another appointment as the Special Advisor to Barrow on Governance.

Six to Stand for President in Gambia's First Election After Jammeh, 15 Disqualified

Gambian President Adama Barrow will face five challengers in an election on Dec. 4, the first vote in 27 years which will exclude exiled former leader Yahya Jammeh, who fled the country after refusing to accept his defeat five years ago.

Barrow will be judged on his progress dragging the country out of a Jammeh era characterised by harsh political crackdowns, fear and financial plunder. The election is being held under conditions of economic hardship after the COVID-19 pandemic kept European tourists away from Gambia's beaches.

Candidates include Barrow's former political mentor Ousainou Darboe, 73, as well as Essa Mbye Faal, who served as chief counsel of Gambia's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission that chronicled the abuses of Jammeh's rule. Also running is Mama Kandeh, who came third in the 2016 polls.

Fifteen other candidates were rejected for not meeting election commission standards.

Barrow, a former security guard in London, has been stymied by COVID-19. The economy shrank 0.2% in 2020, although it is expected to grow 4.9% this year.

Critics point to a rise in crime and poor electricity and internet networks. Some are mistrustful: Barrow initially said he would only serve as a transitional leader for three years but can now run for as long as he likes after a bill to limit presidents to two terms failed to pass last year.

Still, a recent programme to build 50 roads has been well received and many in the country of 2.4 million people appreciate his calm demeanour and leniency after Jammeh.

Source: USNews

Gambia's president files his nomination for December election

 The Gambia's President Adama Barrow on Thursday declared his candidacy for the December 4 presidential poll, with campaigning in the hotly contested election set to begin next week.

Thousands of supporters lined the streets in the capital Banjul, as Barrow formally submitted his candidacy to the electoral body in the tiny West African nation.

The December 4 election will be the first since the departure of former dictator Yahya Jammeh, and is viewed as a key test of the country's democratic transition.

"Whatever the Gambian people decide I'll respect that because I’m a democrat and I believe in the rule of law and democracy,” Barrow, 56, told reporters.

Jammeh seized power in The Gambia in 1994 as part of a bloodless military coup.

After a six-week crisis that led to military intervention by other West African states, Jammeh was forced into exile in Equatorial Guinea.

Rights activists have accused him of committing a litany of crimes during his 22-year rule: from using death squads to raping a beauty queen and sponsoring witch hunts, among others.

However, the former dictator has retained considerable support in The Gambia, raising questions about his continuing influence in the nation of two million people.

For example, Barrow's NPP party formed an electoral alliance with Jammeh's APRC in September -- in a move viewed as an electoral ploy in some quarters, and denounced by rights activists.

Jammeh subsequently disavowed the decision -- which he said was taken without his knowledge -- and his supporters have formed a rival party.

Nineteen candidates have registered presidential bids so far, which the electoral commission must still approve.

The campaign season formally begins on November 9.

Source: Africanews

South Africa’s ruling ANC party records worst poll result since end of Apartheid

 South Africa’s voters have delivered a significant rebuke to the governing African National Congress, which got less than 50 percent of ballots cast in local government elections.

Widespread corruption, persistently high rates of unemployment, crippling power blackouts and ineffective delivery of government services were burning campaign issues.

In results announced Thursday night, the ANC won 46 percent of the vote, down from 54 percent in the last municipal elections five years ago.

As a result, the party will control fewer councils and have fewer mayors in big and small cities across the country.

It is the first time,e the party of Nelson Mandela has received less than half of the ballots cast in any election in the continent’s most industrialised nation.

The share of the ANC, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has consistently declined at local polls, often seen as a prime opportunity for the electorate to lodge protest votes.

President Ramaphosa acknowledged that the party will have to form coalitions to govern key metropolitan areas.

“If we are to make this a new and better era, we as leaders must put aside our differences and work together in a spirit of partnership, of cooperation and collaboration and common purpose in the interest of the people of South Africa,” said Ramaphosa, announcing the results at the election centre in Pretoria.

Looking ahead to general elections in 2024, the results portend badly for the ANC.

The local polls also set the stage for the country’s evolution into a richer multiparty democracy, moving past the dream of a “rainbow nation” and into the reality of balancing myriad competing interests.

“For some time, we’ve been trying to implement democracy in South Africa, but we have not really succeeded up to now to have a truly competitive multiparty democracy,” said Sandile Swana, a political analyst.

Major cities such as Johannesburg and Pretoria have had coalition governments since the last local polls five years ago.

Nationally, the ANC lost a majority in even more regions, including in eThekwini metro in former President Jacob Zuma’s stronghold province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Only two out of three potential voters registered. Of those, less than half actually cast ballots.

Source: Al Jazeera

Gambia Clocks 70 Years of Multi Party Elections

It is exactly 70 years since The Gambia held her first multiparty elections.

 In  November 1951, the Gambia Democratic Party of late Rev. J.C. Faye, amongst others contested elections for three seats at the Legislative Council for Bathurst and Kombo, narrated Hassoum Ceesay, historian and author in an interview with this reporter.

As political parties present their nomination files at the IEC this week, Hassoum Ceesay, said “the 1951 elections came as a result of constitutional developments starting from 1947 when the elective element was introduced in a new constitution.” He disclosed that in the 1947 elections, Honourable E.F. Small became the First Elected Member of the Legislative Council.

According to him, what is really unique about the 1951election was that it was held on a political party basis. “In 1947 elections, there were no registered political parties; all the candidates stood as independent; at that time the British colonial rulers still maintained their ban on the formation registration of political parties.”

But in 1951 elections, he said, “we had Edward Francis Small again who stood for the Gambia National League, Rev J.C. Faye for the Gambia Democratic Party; John Findin Dailey for the Common People’s Party; and of course other independent candidates like Pierre Sarr Njie, James Francis Senegal, and Henry Madi. And it was very interesting because it was the first election under a multiparty system where Gambians were given the opportunity to select and elect using political party platform.

Hassoum explained further that at the 1951 elections, ‘Rev J.C. Faye, leader of The Gambia Democratic Party, Garba Jahumpa and Henry Madi, independent, were elected’. The noted historian added that more political parties were created in the aftermath of the 1951 elections such as the Gambia Muslim Congress; United Party (UP) of P.S Njie; The Gambia National Party of Kebba Wally Foon and The Gambia Peoples Party of Lawyer George St. Claire Joof and in 1959, the PPP was formed. “So in short period of eight years, five new parties emerged. Our Founding Fathers at the time saw the need for registering parties to maximise political mobilisation to fight for independence,” he added. 

He went further that “so as we prepare for the December elections, we should remember our illustrious history of  70 years experience in multiparty elections, during which  period Gambians have so far gone through multiparty elections for 20 times since 1951. This is a record in Africa, which we Gambians should be proud of. In fact, The Gambian multiparty democratic record is unique in Africa and it should be a source of pride to every Gambian. Gambians were voting in multiparty elections before the people of Portugal, Spain and other European countries did so,” Mr. Ceesay disclosed.

He expressed that this beautiful democratic experience imposes on Gambians the responsibility to continue to nurture, protect and improve on their enviable democratic tradition.

 Asked on the trend of political party alliances in the Gambia since 1951, he answered that “the  idea of political parties coming together to form electoral alliances  dated back to 1955 municipal election in Bathurst when the United Party worked with the Gambia Muslim Congress in certain wards in Bathurst to stop Democratic Party from winning those wards. In 1960 general election also, there was alliance between the Gambia Muslim Congress and The Gambia Democratic Party called Democratic Congress Alliance to contest the 1960 elections to prevent the United Party from dominating Bathurst. At that time Bathurst was dominated by Pierre Njie’s U.P.” 

Subsequently, “in 1962 elections the PPP went into alliance with Democratic Congress Alliance (DCA) to frustrate the United Party, particularly in their stronghold in Bathurst. Thanks to this alliance, the PPP defeated the UP. Also in the 1970s   National Convention Party formed alliance with the United Party of Pierre Njie against the ruling PPP. In 2016, it was an alliance which defeated the APRC regime. Historian Ceesay acknowledged that party alliances “have been a constant feature, a healthy characteristic for The Gambian multiparty experience.”

He concluded by saying that The Gambia multiparty democracy is matured, the political space is getting freer and also Gambians are getting increasingly interested in the political affairs of their country. “The multiplication of political formations and people interested in political office is a positive sign for the development of our multiparty system, because multiplication of parties helps to entrench our democratic spirit and tradition,” Mr Hassoum Ceesay observed.

Source: Gambia News

Gambia's Election Management Body, IEC to Announce Qualified Candidates On Sunday As Nominations Begin

 Eight aspiring presidential candidates on Saturday and Sunday presented their credentials to the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for consideration and are expected to know their fate on Sunday, 7 November 2021.

The IEC made some changes to the nomination process which allows aspirants to submit their pending documents before Saturday. The nomination will close on Saturday and the IEC will inform the public who the qualified candidates to run for the December 4th election are .

Ebrima Tabora Manneh, an in dependent aspirant who spoke to journalists after he submitted his credentials, stated that Gambians should vote for him because of his honesty and patriotism. He said if he is elected, the country will be better than Rwanda, Botswana, and Singapore.

"It's doable and we are blessed as humans with knowledge and wisdom. In our first 100 days, we will foster peace and unity and understand that we live with different tribes, affiliated with different political parties, and practice different religions."

Mr. Manneh added that the country is failing and there is extreme poverty, adding The Gambia should take ownership of the country, economy, and security.

"Some of the graduates in this country face difficulties of employment and those employed are just by name. There is a shortage of drugs in our hospitals after 50 years of independence and we cannot build our own roads or have sufficient water and electricity."

Momodou Bah, another independent aspirant, said he had already sent all the documents that were asked. He added that the IEC asked for 5, 000 nomination cards and he gave more.

"I believe that I won already and I am the fourth president of The Gambia. My campaign is Profs Momo for president because I have done a lot for this country and it is written in a book called 'An Eyewitness to Freedom'.

Prof Bah was asked to change his orange colour because someone else has chosen that and he promised to choose the combination of orange and black.

Bankole Ahadzie, an independent aspirant who came to the IEC with his motorbike, short-trouser, and boat shoes, declined an interview with the press on the grounds that he was ill and took the Covid-19 test that is yet to come out.

Banky, as he is commonly called, didn't bring his 5 thousand nomination list, no asset declaration, no tax clearance, no party symbol or color.

Gen. Lamin Bojang, the leader of Alliance for Reorientation and Development (ANRD), said if he is elected in office, he would make sure that the change every Gambian was yearning for happens.

"I have found that after 50 years of independence, the country is still in the hands of foreigners, especially agriculture, health, education, and security. As a sovereign state, we believe that our sovereignty is at stake. There is a need to join the underprivileged and stand by them to help and change the dynamic."

Gen. Bojang added that he wants the Gambia to be considered a developing country, saying he wants to replace the poor leadership with a leadership that will inspire the young.

1 withdraws, 2 aspirants present credentials to IEC

Meanwhile, on Saturday at the opening of the 2021 Presidential nomination for December 4th polls, two aspirant candidates presented their credentials to the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) awaiting approval while one withdrew from the race.

Joseph H. Joof, an independent aspirant who first appeared on Saturday came with two followers. When asked by journalists, he said "I don't want to bring about 200 people dancing all over the place; it cost money that can go to the Gambian people."

He said that money can be kept and used for the benefit of their families. The former Justice Minister added that when the victory comes, they can all celebrate it together.

"We decided not to bring people because there is no need for it. I came with two people and I am happy with it because the procedure is the important thing and not the crowd."

Mathew Gomez, an independent aspirant who appeared before the panel of IEC authorities, came alone and withdrew from the race. Mr. Gomez, who came some 30 minutes before his time, waited in the back seat before meeting the IEC authorities.

Marie Sock-Jobarteh, the country's only female aspirant candidate told journalists that she realised not long ago that she was among the first to be nominated. Mrs. Sock-Jobarteh, who didn't declare her asset said she would do that in the next few days.

"We still don't have the asset declaration forms and some of our nomination papers are still at the village."

Dwelling on her inspiration, she said this is the time she has been waiting for because she wants every woman to have a voice and be represented in politics and the government. She added that since she came to the country in 2013, she has seen young people and women struggling.

Alagie Mamadi Kurang, another independent aspirant said he was the right candidate at the moment because the world is going through some changes and The Gambia needs a candidate that can sail through the difficulties, understand the economy and the political issues. Mr. Kurang added that he has been tested and proven by young people, saying he has been operating an institution that employs and has trained more than 20, 000 Gambians who are employed in various industries.

"I understand the economic problem of this country and the major problem of the country is poverty. The country needs a problem solver and I have not been corrupted by any government. I'm a neutral person that people can trust to deliver what society needs."

Mr. Kurang promised to advance the country's education and agricultural sector and create 500, 000 jobs for young people.

Source: AllAfrica.com

ECOWAS, AU Launch National Peace Campaign and Dialogue in The Gambia

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in collaboration with the African Union, through its African Governance Architecture (AGA), have launched the National Peace Campaign and Dialogue on Democratic Reforms and Youth Participation in the Political Processes in The Gambia.

The Campaign aims to create an open and collaborative space for the youth to be part of the political processes as well as ongoing reforms and peace processes in The Gambia. It is also part of preventive diplomacy activities in support of a peaceful presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 4th December 2021 and 2022 respectively in that country.

The campaign is focusing among others on strategic issues meant to rally Increased awareness of the youth on the ongoing reforms, enhancing the understanding of the role of the youth in the democratic governance processes as well as the establishment of networking avenues for the youth, national and regional stakeholders and the institutionalisation of the concept of ambassadors for peace among the Gambian youth in order to rally for a more inclusive, democratic and credible electoral process.

At the launch, the president of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou said: “In the past, the Youth have been used as tools and being manipulated by conflict entrepreneurs to achieve their selfish goals. Today,it is gratifying to note that the youth are now engaged in decision-making processes that affect their lives. Remember that your destiny lies in your hands. So make good use of the opportunity. As ECOWAS, we share the conviction that now is the time to invest in the people, particularly the youth which is the peoples-centred investment for development, so that they can become agents of political and social stability.”

His statement which as delivered by the ECOWAS Resident Representative Mrs. Vabah Gayflor, lauded the initiative as one that is in consonance with the priorities of the country’s National Development Plan, the AU Agenda 2063, and the ECOWAS Vision 2050.

The Acting Head of the AGA-APSA Secretariat, Ambassador Salah Hammad, spoke in similar vein maintaining that: “The Gambia goes through Elections this year, this particular call for national dialogue and launch of a peace campaign is ideal. This dialogue and campaign will bring this youthful nation to embrace its differences, become one and support this important national exercise as a testament of the growing democratic space.”

He emphasised the need for an increased investment on youth and their meaningful engagement as leaders for peace and partners for change.

The campaign and dialogue is an outcome of the multi-stakeholder assessment mission that was led by AGA and held in partnership with ECOWAS, Democracy Elections Assistance Unit (DEAU) and African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), in August 2019. The mission’s findings elaborated on the commendable efforts the government was doing but also identified glaring gaps including the need to be addressed to support the meaningful engagement of the youth in electoral and political processes.

These findings paved the way for strategic engagement and support which was enumerated on the Joint Action of AGA –ECOWAS, DEAU with the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The action plan was meant to also identify resources, experiences and capacity that can potentially address impediments for youth to exercise their full potential.