Mark it on your calendars, folks. November 24th is Thanksgiving.... For 'Merka. But here in the sunny, skinny, smiling coast of The Gambia, it will be Election Day. You probably wonder how it works over here. Negative campaigning? Check. Protests? Not that I've seen. Violence? Nada.
This year there are 3 candidates. We have the incumbent,
Yahya Jammeh, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party , and the independent candiadate Hamat Bah of the United Front, which represents at least four political parties. The campaigning constitutionally began on November 12, although there were quite a few billboards already erected for the ruling party some weeks before that. Among the billboards are "Vote for him in 2011 as your sacred duty" and "Gambian women LOVE the President". There are quite a few restrictions on who is allowed to become a presidential candidate, but I did learn that you need to submit a check for D10,000 (~$350) to Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). I wonder how much it is in the U.S.
I'm new to Gambian political campaigns, but this time around there's a sense that the outcome is not already predetermined. The opposition candidates are speaking out against the current regime more than they have in the past, focusing mostly on the issues. This is good for The Gambia.
If you're interested in what's going down, check out these online newspapers:
http://observer.gm/
http://www.foroyaa.gm/modules/news/
http://hellogambia.com/
http://thepoint.gm/
http://www.freedomnewspaper.com/
