The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says it cannot release the raw voter roll data until the Revising Courts complete their hearings and magistrates sign the relevant documents.
The IEC Chairman, Joseph Colley, made the clarification during the Commission’s monthly press conference at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo on Thursday, responding to calls by the United Democratic Party (UDP) for the release of the data ahead of the December 2026 presidential election.
The UDP, some individual and CSOs has questioned the delay in releasing the data, citing the need for transparency and credibility in the electoral process. The party has also threatened street protests if the data is not released.
According to the IEC Chairman, the Commission must first receive directions from the magistrates on which names should be retained on the register and which should be removed.
“From then we’ll be able to expunge these names and then we’ll know exactly how many people are on the roll. So, you cannot put the cart before the horse. Things don’t work like that,” he said.
The Chairman added that the data would be provided to all political parties once the process is completed, noting that magistrates are still handling cases before the Revising Courts.
