Gambian presidential election kicks off thursday morning

Gambian presidential election kicks off Thursday morning at 07:00 local time (0700 GMT) in Gambia. Nearly 800,000 registered voters are expected to go to the polls to cast their ballots throughout the West African country in the presidential election. Three candidates are contesting for the presidential seat, including incumbent President Yahya Jammeh of the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction, Lawyer Ousainou Numu Kunda Darboe of the United Democracy Party and Hamat Ngany Kumba Bah. The latter is supported by the opposition United Front comprising four opposition parties which are the National Reconciliation Party, the Peoples Democracy for Independent and Socialism, the National Alliance for Democracy and Development, and the Gambian People for Democracy and Progress. Gambia is divided into seven administrative areas with an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) regional office in each administrative headquarters of Banjul, Kanifing, Brikama, Kerewan, Mansakonko, Janjanbureh and Basse. The country has set a total of 1,302 polling stations for 796,929 voters. These statistics were revealed to Xinhua on Wednesday by the chairman of the IEC, Mustapha Carayol in the capital Banjul. The official said all polling stations are scheduled to open at 07:00 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. local time. If voters would still be in the queue at 4 p.m., they should be allowed to vote.