About IEC
The IEC inherited the mandate of the PIEC, but peculiar to the IEC was its permanent status and a reduction of its membership from seven to five members, provided for under Section 42 of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia. The Mandate of the PIEC was clearly stated in section 6 of the PIEC Decree, Decree 62 of 1995, these are:
a) to conduct and supervise the registration of voters, for all public elections and referenda,
b) to demarcate electoral boundaries for both national and local government elections,
c) to conduct and supervise all public elections and referenda
d) to register political parties
e) to ensure that the dates, times and places of public elections and referenda are fixed and that they are publicized and that elections are held accordingly.
f) to ensure that the candidates for elections make full declaration of their assets at the time of nomination,
g) to announce the results of all elections and referenda.
There is also the additional responsibility to conduct elections of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
Mission Statement
To provide the Gambian people with an independent and efficient electoral process that is based on fairness, transparency and trust and supported by competent staff for the democratic conduct of all public elections and referenda. Furthermore the Commission is committed to maintaining a credible voters register and carrying out continuous voter education.
Vision Statement
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will evolve into an efficient and effective institution that is adequately staffed and resourced, and responding to the national need for full participation in the electoral processes and, leadership that will promote harmony, democracy and progress.
The IEC is made up of two distinct parts:
- The Commission composed of persons appointed in accordance with Section 42 of the Constitution, and:
- The Staff of the IEC who are appointed by the Commission.
The former directs the policies of the IEC and the latter implements the adopted policies.
The Staff structure at Headquarters is set into five distinct functional Divisions with each Division headed by a Director. These Divisions are:
- Administration
- Operations
- Training, Communications and Public Affairs
- Finance
- Information Technology
The IEC has a Regional Office in each of the seven Administrative Divisions of the country. This strategy facilitates easy implementation of its policies and the conduct of electoral activities across the country. Each Regional Office is under the direct oversight of a member of the Commission, who also acts as the Returning Officer for elections in their area.
A Regional Electoral Officer (REO), who is assisted by an Assistant Regional Electoral (AREO), heads each office. These officers relate with all the Divisions of the Commission in the performance of their functions, but are supervised in their daily operations by the Operations Division at Headquarters.
Since its inception in 1997, after the dissolution of the PIEC (formed in 1995), the Independent Electoral Commission has successfully conducted series of electoral activities.These include:
- A general registration of voters in 2001,
- Presidential Elections in 2001,
- National Assembly Election and Local Government Elections in 2002,
- Presidential Elections in 2006,
- National Assembly Elections in 2007 and Local Government Elections in 2008.
The Commission has also conducted series of By-Elections in different constituencies across the country. All elections have been certified as free, fair and transparent by all stakeholders including political parties, local and international observers.
