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    <A HREF="http://www.qanet.gm/./body_mainnews.html#motor">The Gambia Armed Forces Received Motor Bicycles </A>    


    The Gambia Armed Forces Today Received 18 Motor Bicycles and two vehicles 
from their Commander In Chief President Alhaji Yayah Jammeh. <A HREF="http://www.qanet.gm/./body_mainnews.html#motor">Full Story.</A>
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    Tuesday, July 17, 2001      
IEC BOSS REACTSby Ebrima Colley Head, Political Desk The chairman of the 
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Mr Gabriel John Roberts, has said 
that he would not answer to the allegations levelled against him by the 
United Democratic Party. Mr Roberts who was accused of "being hired to rig 
elections" by the UDP at their Banjul rally Saturday, said such allegations 
represented his accusers' opinion to which they were entitled. Reacting to 
Waa Juwara's claims that he was relieved of his post before and reinstated 
because of 'his incompetence' Mr Roberts said he was never sacked or fired. 
"That is not correct. I was hired to chair the Provisional Independent 
Electoral Commission that came to an end and I walked out. I was not sacked 
or fired. The commission came to an end and another commission was born in 
the form of IEC and they appointed another chairman," Mr Roberts noted. 
On-the-spot-counting
Mr Roberts disclosed that the on-the-spot counting earlier proposed could not 
be implemented for lack of adequate security for the 800 polling stations 
that would be in place during the elections. "Voters who cast their ballots 
would probably come back to listen to the results. Now the government is 
saying that the crowd that would gather around each of the polling stations 
would comprise supporters of different candidates and political parties and 
that has the potential for trouble," Mr Roberts said. Opposition walk-out 
On the IEC's meeting with the political parties during which the opposition 
parties reportedly walked out, Mr Roberts said he felt it was unfortunate for 
them to walk-out. "Walking out does not solve anything. It's better to have 
dialogue," he said, adding that the opposition parties who walked out should 
take their argument and sort it out if they had anything opposed to what was 
said inorder to reach some agreement. He said the IEC convened such a meeting 
in order to inform the parties of the government's position with regards to 
security at polling stations. "I don't think some of the members who walked 
out listened to everything that happened. So, what I am doing is to write 
down the minutes of what happened and let them see what transpired - may be, 
they will change their mind. I feel that their walk-out suggests that they 
didn't completely understand what transpired at the meeting," he reasoned.  
    
    
    
    
    
    

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