Gambians vote in local government election

More than 48,000 Gambians go to the polls on Thursday to elect mayors and councilors for the next five years in the West African nation, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) told Xinhua.The polling stations are scheduled to open at 8:00 a.m. local time and close at 5:00 p.m. with counting to be done on the spot, according to the commission.The IEC officials have advised village heads not to stop anyone, stressing that any Gambian has the right to contest for the election.The officials have also called on people not to put on a party color during voting.IEC Chairman Alhagie Mustapha Carayol said more than 600,000 U. S. dollars would be spent on the April 4 Local Government Election.The ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reconciliation and Construction has 10 candidates facing competitions from 40 independent candidates.The are 46 wards and 761 polling stations to open to 481,400 voters.In the capital Banjul, election official Kanifing Municipal Council is calling for a peaceful vote.\"Let\'s do the election peacefully. The Presidential and Parliamentary elections were peaceful and so I want this one also to be peaceful,\" he said.The official also urged a massive turnout. \"Gambians don\'t respect local government election and that\'s why when you watch the television, you see me sensitizing the people and my staffs are also going round sensitizing the people so that we will have a successful local government election this time,\" he noted.Since 1996, the country held four presidential elections and three National Assembly (parliament) elections. The upcoming local elections will be the fourth.The ruling party dominated past elections.