Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The United Democratic Party (UDP) has raised fresh concerns over the credibility of The Gambia’s voter register, claiming that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has yet to account for a discrepancy involving about 14,000 voters ahead of the December 2026 presidential election.
Yakumba Jaiteh, a senior official of the main opposition UDP, said the party remains concerned about differences between figures initially announced by the IEC and data subsequently provided to political parties.
Jaiteh said the discrepancy remains unresolved and urged the electoral commission to provide a clear explanation before the voter register is finalized.
“With the revising court concluded and the voter list concluded, without this being addressed, we are going into an election where the IEC cannot account for 14,000 voters,” Jaiteh said.
According to Jaiteh, the UDP had previously questioned differences between the number of voters announced by the IEC and figures shared with political parties.
She said the initial discrepancy stood at around 28,000 voters, with the IEC explaining that approximately 14,000 registrations were linked to double registration. However, Jaiteh said the party has yet to receive sufficient information identifying the registrations allegedly removed or classified as duplicates.
“We said, ‘Then give us the data.’ Even with the double registration, who are the people who did this? Until now, we do not have that information,” she said.
Jaiteh called on the IEC to clarify whether the remaining discrepancy involving about 14,000 voters resulted from an error in its earlier announcement or another issue.
“If it was a mistake, I think IEC should just be bold enough to come out and say, ‘We made a mistake with the announcement,’” she said.
Concerns Over Deleted Names
The UDP official also raised concerns about voters whose names may have been removed from the register without the deletions being publicly communicated.
She argued that voters whose names were deleted should be informed so they can exercise their right to challenge the decision through the revising court process.
Jaiteh said resolving the discrepancy was important to maintaining public confidence in the voter register and the wider 2026 electoral process.
The UDP’s concerns come amid continued scrutiny of the voter register and objections considered through revising courts across the country as preparations continue for the December 2026 election.
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