Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has rejected claims by the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) of a major discrepancy in the figures from the 2026 supplementary voter registration exercise, saying the difference arose because the initial figures provided to political parties were unverified raw data.
The UDP had demanded the release of the full supplementary registration data after identifying what it described as a 28,932-voter gap between the IEC’s announced total of 212,095 registered voters and a dataset supplied to the party containing 183,163 entries.
The party said the difference, equivalent to about 13.6 percent of the announced figure, raised questions about the accuracy and credibility of the voter register and called for an explanation from the electoral commission.
But IEC Vice Chairman Cherno Jallow told The Standard that there was no discrepancy, arguing that the 212,095 figure represented the raw data collected from registration centers before verification and adjudication.
IEC says raw data included duplicate and spoiled registrations.
Jallow said the initial figure included replacements, reprints, spoiled or damaged voter cards, and multiple registrations, all of which were subsequently identified through cross-matching and verification.
He said the Commission detected 14,334 people involved in double registration, while the larger figure of more than 24,000 initially announced reflected individual registration instances because some people had registered two or three times.
“The system records everything,” Jallow said, maintaining that the process had been openly explained to political parties.
However, he did not disclose the final number of voters remaining after the verification and adjudication process.
The IEC’s explanation comes as political parties prepare for the December 5 presidential election, with scrutiny of the voter register emerging as an increasingly sensitive issue ahead of polling.
IEC acknowledges delay in responding to UDP.
The UDP has also accused the IEC of failing to respond to two formal requests seeking detailed information, including registration figures before and after duplicate records were removed, details of deleted registrations, and the methodology used to identify and verify duplicate entries.
Jallow acknowledged that the party had written to the Commission twice and said the IEC should have responded, attributing the delay to the demands of the electoral preparations.
He said the Commission still intends to provide a formal response, stressing that the UDP remains an important stakeholder.
Jallow also said the final voter register had not yet been completed. Once the revising courts conclude their work and magistrates sign off on the register, it will be incorporated into the 2021 Master Register and shared with political parties as required by law.
The IEC Vice Chairman said the Commission had nothing to hide and remained committed to conducting a credible, transparent, fair, and inclusive election that reflects the will of Gambian voters.
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