I've been reading and keeping quiet but I'm beginning to feel nervous.
There are elections in October. That is three months away!!!

Publicly abolishing Decree 89 was a very clever stunt. It will make the USA
feel good but this close to an election and without the legal revoking it
has not changed much.

My concerns are really centring around scutinity of the election and access
to tne media for opposition parties. The IEC should be pressured into
requiring that GRT gives equal air time. Somehow news and other programs
need to be monitored for bias OR ELSE GRT should publicise that it is a
propaganda outlet for Jammeh.

Also if the current USA ambrassador to Gambia has finished his term and the
likely successor will not be comfirmed by the US Senete until September,
then who is reporting
on things. I know that there are many other staff
members at an embassy, but it seems almost that a blind eye is being turned
to the lead up to the election.

Are any countries sending obsevers? I am assuming that there is not going
to be a bouycout of these elections as 3 months is pretty short and no one
seems to pushing that stand.

If ballot boxes are going to be taken to a central location - is there
going to be provision for obsevers from all parties to travel with them?

I'll leave at that for the moment but I am worried that nothing is going to
change.

Janet

PS Please forgive the spelling mistakes, I can't get spellcheck to work in
this window.

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