Gambia Sacks Its Electoral Commission Chairman


Panafrican News Agency

December 14, 2000

Banjul, Gambia

Gambia's chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Bishop Solomon
Tilewa Johnson, has been removed from his post, only days after he embarrassed
the government by taking it to court.

Tilewa was said to have received his dismissal letter from President Yahya
Jammeh's office on Tuesday.

"This is a mass of confusion," a lawyer told PANA, wondering if the National
Assembly has been stripped of its constitutional role to decide the fate of an
IEC chairman suspected to have abused his office.

Bishop Johnson was not available for comment on his firing.

The commission had told the Supreme Court that the refusal by the Attorney
General's Chambers to send a local government bill it handed over to it in May
1999 to the national assembly for ratification has been delaying the holding of
local government elections in the country.

Ruling on the case Wednesday, the five Supreme Court judges headed by Chief
Justice Felix Lartey said that the IEC had the constitutional mandate to conduct
the elections without recourse to the national assembly.

The court then ruled that the IEC should go ahead and conduct the said elections
without further ado.

Positions to be vied for in the elections include those of mayor of Banjul and
chairmanships and councillors of the various administrative district centres
throughout the country.

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