By Adama Makasuba

The national youth mobilizer for Gambia Democratic Congress, GDC, Momodou MC Cham, says Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) and Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress (GPDP)  are not political parties but Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Mr. Cham made the claims in an interview with Gambiana at the end of a five-day advocacy training seminar for youths, women and people with disabilities, representatives of political parties and CSOs in the Gambia at Baobab Hotel.

“I see GMC and GPDP as NGOs because right now you have four big political parties in this country, whether they like it or not which are GDC, UDP, APRC, and PDOIS,” he said.

According to him, there are many different parties in the country that don’t participate in elections, adding “parties like GMC and GPDP do not participate in elections.”

He urged the Independent Electoral Commission “to put rules in place for the political parties to contest in presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.”

MC Cham jnr further urged IEC to regularize and oblige political parties to participate in elections, adding that  there is a percentage that if a political fail to meet, they should be deregistered.”

“Many people have been forming political parties whereby they didn’t even have a structure in place and according to the IEC Act you need to have regional offices across the country, but some political parties still now don’t comply with the (electoral) law.”

The GDC National mobilizer added that “there are many political parties that do not fulfill the criteria of having full executive members, so IEC should look into that area as well.”

“You don’t have an office and you are not participating in elections and you call yourself a political party?” Mr. Cham queried.