Madar (Banjul) - The Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Saturday, 14 November 2026, finalised the list of candidates for the 5 December presidential election: nine candidates, including incumbent President Adama Barrow, according to regional media citing the commission's official report.
According to the report, 27 nomination forms were collected and eleven prospective candidates withdrew before the end of the process. Sixteen applications were filed, of which nine were accepted and seven rejected after review.
Barrow is running for the National People's Party (NPP). His challengers include Ousainu Darboe of the United Democratic Party (UDP), Talib Ahmed Bensouda of the UNITE movement, Modou Lamin Sima (APC), Ebrima Tabora Manneh (PAP) and Ansu Sanneh (NBP), along with three independents: Isatou Touray, Lamin J. Darbo and Almameh Gibba. Touray is the only woman among the accepted candidates.
The rejected applications include those of Bakusa Dukureh of the Gambian Labour Party and Kebba Bojang of the Democratic National Party, as well as five independent candidates. The commission said the applicants had been notified of the issues found in their applications and of the rejection decisions.
The IEC is meeting the candidates on Sunday, 15 November, to harmonise campaign schedules, and a peace pact is due to be signed on Monday, 16 November, with the candidates or their representatives in partnership with International IDEA, the same sources said.
The official campaign runs from 16 November to 3 December, two days before the vote.
Barrow came to power in January 2017 and was re-elected in December 2021. He is seeking a new term after Parliament rejected a proposed constitutional reform in 2025, according to the sources. Earlier in the week the commission had announced five validated candidacies in a first stage.
