Culled by @FlexDan_YT from “Report of the Commonwealth Expert Team – The Gambia Presidential Election” reference page 41.
Advantage of the incumbency and of public resources
While we acknowledge the advantages that normally accrue to all incumbents, we observed that the ruling party’s use of the state machinery during the campaign period amounted to a serious abuse of incumbency. In this regard, the Team is able to confirm that it witnessed:
1. Uniformed military personnel participating in the APRC rally held in Banjul on Saturday 19 November 2011. Also, it saw three military trucks transporting youths wearing the party color and emblem of the APRC in Churchill’s Town on 23 November 2011
2. The private newspaper, the Observer, carried reports of public institutions, such as the Ministry of Petroleum, donating campaign T-shirts to the APRC
3. We received similar reports of public officials openly campaigning for the ruling party; in particular, we found the involvement of governors and their offices in APRC campaigns worrisome
We therefore urge all parties to adhere to the letter and spirit of the Code of Election Campaign Ethics Order, which was violated in this case. A stronger effort should be made in future elections to improve the enforcement of the Code of Conduct, by having clearer enforcement procedures. This would help the IEC to assert its independence and authority.
We note that unequal access to funding was evident throughout the campaign period and that there was not a level playing field for the campaign with the advantage of incumbency exploited by the APRC. Indeed, the APRC spent far greater sums of money than that of the two other political rivals put together and, in the absence of campaign spending provisions, the level of competitiveness expected was compromised. We note also that the IEC failed to enforce the Code of Conduct which provides sanctions for such abuses.
Ultimately, political will is required to implement these recommendations, which mirror those in the 2006 Commonwealth Observer Group Report. The ruling party’s increase victory would suggest that it has nothing to lose in levelling the playing field and in curbing the abuse of incumbency.