Bamba Laye Jallow, these functions empowers the Returning Officers to receive all nomination papers and carefully go through them to make sure that potential candidates have at least the required number of nominees, that all nominees are legal voters in that constituency, that they did not nominate another intending candidate/s, that their card numbers are not repeated, that intending candidates have an authentic sponsorship certificate from a registered political party unless he/she is an independence candidate, that they have the required security deposit of D5000.00 per candidate, that they declare their assets, etc. If intending candidates fulfills these requirements, the Returning officer will accepts his nomination. However, he/she has to pass the public scrutiny stain free. The public will look into all the nomination paper works and file protests if any, about the qualification of candidate/s. These protests, (like candidates with criminal records) will be heard at a court of law and an acceptance or rejection notice will be issued to the intending candidate/s whose qualifications have been questioned. The acceptance certificate of those nominated candidates without any public protest will stand valid. The public, therefore has the final approval of any candidate not the Returning Officer. I must admit that both the PIEC and The National Civic Education Committee did not do their job properly to educate the electorates about their rights to question the qualification of would-be candidates. I am not sure whether Churchell Baldeh of Upper Fulladu West really qualified under election laws to contest in last National Assembly elections because i understand he was under criminal investigation. He was accused of some fraud at Action Aid, The Gambia, but the Returning Officer cannot do nothing unless a registered voter in that constituency make a formal challenge in a court of law. I will find out about Fabakary Tombong Jatta who was associated with PIEC before coming into politics, Sanna Jallow (Niamina Dankunku) and Daddy Dampha(Janjanbureh) who were both working for former Corporative Union. Thank you for asking these good questions. Cheers PF MANNEH >From: Bamba Laye Jallow <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Manneh>>Re: Duties of PIEC Returnig Officers >Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 05:34:52 -0700 > >Lamin, > >Job well done with all the info you're giving about the election process. >This is an enormous step in the civil education process. Keep them coming. > >On another note, can you please elaborate on items 6,7 and 8 below, they >seem to have given extraordinary authority?? to the Returning Officers: > >"6. Receiving nomination papers, supervise the nomination of candidates and >acceptance of security deposits. > >7. Placing the nomination papers for public inspection > >8. scrutiny of nomination papers and issue of certificate of acceptance or >rejection of nomination , as the case may be;" > >Thanks again. > >Abdoulie A. Jallow >Toll-free number: 1-888-392-4832(Excite2) >Personal extension for v/mail/fax: 291-368-1519 > > > > > >_______________________________________________________ >Say Bye to Slow Internet! >http://www.home.com/xinbox/signup.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------