Local Gov’t Minister Urged to Conduct 51 PC Elections

By Mohamed Kamara
The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ambassador Lamin has revealed at the usual press briefing conference organized by the Information and Communications Ministry on Thursday February 11th 2022 that the long anticipated Municipal elections scheduled for 2022 has been postponed to 2023 owing to financial constraints but added that the good news for the municipalities is that the tenure of office which according to the 2004 local government constitution was stipulated for a four years term has had another additional one year making it five years for Mayors and Councilors.
During question time, the minister was asked whether such additions could equally be extended to parliamentarians and the presidency, Ambassador Lamin responded on the negative, noting that his mandate is only limited to local governance. Another question was posed about the paramount Chieftaincy elections which have been of great preoccupation over its slow pace, the response was that as we go to press, the total number of paramount chieftaincy elections is 77, the ministry has conducted 26 of these elections remaining 51.
Time was not in our favour for the minister to explain why is it that legislative and municipal bye-elections take 90 days and that of PC’s take years. The public holds that there are lesser voters in P/C elections usually lesser than a thousand while the idea that the delay may not be connected with financial reasons.