Adama Barrow leads pre-election poll in The Gambia

Political tensions are rising in The Gambia as parties react to a new pre-election poll released by the civil society group Gambia Participates. The survey suggests that if elections were held today, President Adama Barrow of the National People’s Party (NPP) would lead with 32% support. United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe follows with 25%, while UNITE leader Talib Ahmed Bensouda received 19%. Approximately 17% of respondents remain undecided.

Opposition parties have offered conflicting interpretations of the data. The UDP dismissed the poll's credibility, claiming the results are contradictory regarding regional strengths, but argued the figures demonstrate that Barrow is losing popularity. Conversely, the UNITE party stated the 19% result proves growing momentum for new leadership.

President Barrow has also launched verbal attacks against the opposition. During an NPP rally, he dismissed emerging political alliances as insignificant and mocked UDP politician Dr. Lamin Manneh. Barrow specifically challenged Manneh’s reported intention to announce election results independently, predicting that official results would instead show an overwhelming victory for the NPP.