Gambia prepares for presidential election on December 5

President Adama Barrow is seeking a third term in the upcoming Gambian presidential election scheduled for December 5. Barrow, who has been in power since 2017 following the fall of Yahya Jammeh, leads a broad alliance including the APRC and the Gambia Democratic Congress.

The political climate is characterized by tension following months of power outages and protests. The electoral system utilizes a single-round, plurality voting method, which may favor the incumbent due to a fragmented opposition. Current polling suggests Barrow holds a 32 percent lead, followed by Ousainou Darboe of the Gambia First Coalition at 25 percent and Talib Ahmed Bensouda at 19 percent.

In anticipation of the vote, Barrow has stated that his administration will deliver a new constitution if his party secures an absolute majority in the National Assembly. He argued that previous attempts at constitutional reform failed due to a lack of parliamentary consensus and opposition resistance, specifically citing votes from the United Democratic Party (UDP).