Gambia opposition UDP urges IEC to extend scrutiny of provisional voter register

United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainu Darboe has called on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to provide a full reconciliation of the figures from the 2026 supplementary voter registration exercise and to extend the period for scrutinising the provisional voter list. The UDP noted a discrepancy between the initial register of 179,445 names and the later total announced by the IEC, a gap of about 32,650 voters. After the party raised concerns, the IEC admitted that registrations completed on 8 April had been omitted and later added 3,713 names, bringing the total to 183,163, while still leaving an unaccounted difference of 14,598 after duplicate deletions.

The party’s technical team has asked the IEC to release the complete registration data before and after duplicate deletions and to allow parties and the public sufficient time to examine the final register. Darboe emphasized that the UDP is not alleging fraud, stating, “The UDP is not alleging fraud or wrongdoing on the part of the IEC… we are simply asking for a full reconciliation of the figures.” He urged supporters to remain peaceful and to pursue confidence‑building through legal and institutional channels.