The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) has begun a mass civic and voter education outreach targeting 40 major communities in Upper River and Central River Regions respectively.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is conducting the registration and starts from May to July 2021.

Supported by UNDP Gambia office, the exercise seeks to avail citizens particularly women and young people the right information regarding the general voter registration.

Yusupha Bojang, programme manager of NCCE, said the general voter registration is a key element in ensuring that all qualified citizens enjoy the right to vote.

The face-to-face community sensitization, he said, was earlier launched at Keneba in Kantora District and that the exercise form parts of the first phase of a nationwide whistle-stop outreach to promote civic awareness for increased electoral participation.

“Elections are a cardinal pillars in a democracy and offer citizens an unrivalled opportunity to periodically voice their preferences and choose their representatives in a peaceful manner.” he said.

Bojang described elections as one of the features that make democracy standout among other systems of governance.

The right to have a voice in selecting those who govern, he added, is not just a basic human right but something enshrined in the Constitution of The Gambia.

 “The Constitution guarantees every Gambian citizen who is eighteen years and above and of sound minds the right to be registered as a voter and vote in an election in The Gambia. The Constitution recognises that voting in an election is the ultimate expression of this right.”

The NCCE programme manager indicated that to register in the upcoming voter registration exercise, one has to prove Gambian citizenship by producing one of the following documents, birth certificate, I.D Card, passport, or Alkalo or District Chief attestation. Meanwhile, the exercise is expected to last for ten days covering the two regions.