Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – United Democratic Party (UDP) leader and Gambia First Coalition presidential candidate lawyer Ousainou Darboe has said his party will challenge the outcome of the December 5 presidential election in court if its internal tally differs from the results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Speaking during an interview on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez on Tuesday, August 25, Darboe said the UDP would rely on its own election figures to assess the official results and would pursue legal remedies in the event of significant discrepancies.
“If suddenly our tallies are different, we will not accept it. We will go to court,” Darboe said.
His remarks come as political parties intensify preparations for the December 5 presidential election, with increasing attention on how candidates and their supporters will respond to the outcome.
Asked whether he would accept an IEC declaration in favor of another candidate if the UDP’s internal tally showed a different winner, Darboe said the matter would first be discussed with partners in the Gambia First Coalition.
“We have to consult with our other partners,” he said. “If suddenly our tallies are different, we will not accept it. We will certainly contest it in court, but we will not take to the streets.”
UDP Defends Announcing Its Own Tallies
Darboe also addressed comments by senior UDP officials suggesting that the party could announce its own results before the IEC formally declares the winner.
He defended the practice, arguing that there is a distinction between political parties announcing constituency-level victories or celebrating results and formally declaring the winner of a presidential election.
According to Darboe, the UDP would celebrate if its supporters and internal tally indicated that the party had secured victory.
“We are announcing by our actions, by our jubilation,” he said, stressing that such celebrations should not be interpreted as an attempt to assume the IEC’s constitutional responsibility to declare the official presidential result.
The UDP leader nevertheless made clear that the party is targeting what he described as a “decisive victory” in the December election.
Darboe Rejects Violence
Darboe also rejected suggestions that the UDP could resort to violence if it disputes the election outcome.
He pointed to the party’s conduct during the disputed 2021 presidential election, saying the UDP has consistently urged supporters to remain peaceful and use lawful mechanisms to resolve electoral disagreements.
“We have always been responsible people in this country. We have never, at any time done anything that will put this country in flames,” he said.
Darboe recalled that he publicly appealed for calm during the tense period surrounding the 2021 election and maintained that the party would follow the same approach in any future dispute.
His comments place the courts at the center of any potential post-election challenge while underscoring the distinction between parties’ internal election tallies and the IEC’s constitutional authority to declare the official result.
The December 5 presidential election is expected to be a significant test for the UDP and the newly formed Gambia First Coalition, with Darboe seeking the presidency after decades as one of the country’s leading opposition figures.
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