Tuesday brought big news from the National Assembly. Members voted to keep requiring letters from village heads (Alkalolu) for people who want to register as voters. This rule has caused many arguments across the country. Critics say political parties often pressure village leaders to help non-citizens register illegally. The practice hurts fair elections.
Several lawmakers pushed hard to delete this rule from the Election Bill completely. They pointed out a simple truth - most village heads simply cannot recognize every single person living in their communities. Despite these concerns, other lawmakers fought to keep the requirement. Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta claimed removing this power would disrespect community leaders.
The final tally showed strong support for keeping Alkalo attestation. Thirty assembly members voted yes, just six voted against it, and three members decided not to vote either way. The debate ended with village heads keeping their authority over voter registration. The assembly did make one change to the current system, though.
They removed the part that allowed district chiefs (Sefolu) to provide attestations. This means village heads become the only local officials who can verify someone's identity for voter registration purposes. The change narrows who controls access to voting cards. People hoping to register must deal directly with their village head instead of seeking help from higher district officials.
Several lawmakers pushed hard to delete this rule from the Election Bill completely. They pointed out a simple truth - most village heads simply cannot recognize every single person living in their communities. Despite these concerns, other lawmakers fought to keep the requirement. Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta claimed removing this power would disrespect community leaders.
The final tally showed strong support for keeping Alkalo attestation. Thirty assembly members voted yes, just six voted against it, and three members decided not to vote either way. The debate ended with village heads keeping their authority over voter registration. The assembly did make one change to the current system, though.
They removed the part that allowed district chiefs (Sefolu) to provide attestations. This means village heads become the only local officials who can verify someone's identity for voter registration purposes. The change narrows who controls access to voting cards. People hoping to register must deal directly with their village head instead of seeking help from higher district officials.
