Four months after president yayah jammeh's historic thrid term presidential victory at the polls, electiosn officers are again bracing to conduct legislative elections later this month. Already all the main political parties have concluded nominations late last week for the January 25 th polls. The Independent Electoral Commisiion confirmed it had received and accepted about forty eight candidature applications from the ruling APRC party. Interestingly, among the candidates whose nominations were accepted was Mr. Abdoulai Colley of Sanyang, standing as independent candidate for the Kombo South constituency and being put forward by disgruntled members of the APRC party who are opposed to the incumbent APRC member of the National Assembly, Hon. Paul Mendy.

Unlike in the run-up to previous legislative elections when candidates for the ruling party were selected constituency primaries, the APRC this time used a selection committee to screen and select aspiring candidates. Forty eight were selected last month out of over a hundred applicants. Though this procedure has put an end to the often rowdy disputes associated with such primaries, it has kept the inner party rumblings simmering underneath.

As a novelty for easy nomination, the IEC made changes in its nomination arrangements, setting separate days for each party, with the ruling APRC party for the 4th, the opposition NADD party scheduled for the 5th and on Saturday 6th for United Democratic Party. The NADD has reportedly fileed in about seven candidates while supporting the candidacy of thirteen independent candidates. The UDP fielded in candidates for all the forty-eight constituencies. Speaking to journalists last Tuesday, UDP leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe revealed his parties continued alliance with other two opposition parties NRP and GPDP.

However, according to an article by the Foroya newspaper, the GPDP leader Henry Gomez has denied his party's continued collaboration with the UDP-led Alliance that his party was part of in last September's presidential elections. Only about half of the Gambian electorates voted last year. However, the parliamentary polls seem set to attract more voters.