By: Kemo Kanyi
The leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Honourable Mama Kandeh, has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to act as a fair and impartial referee in the forthcoming 2026 presidential elections.
Speaking at a political rally held in Kitty, West Coast Region, Kandeh warned that the irregularities witnessed during the 2016 and 2021 elections must not be repeated, stressing that his party would not tolerate any form of bias or malpractice from the electoral body.
“As of now, I am warning the IEC that what transpired in 2016 and 2021 should not happen again. Gambians are saying enough is enough. You are going to be the referee; make sure you are fair and treat everybody equally as citizens of this country. Such practices have ended. We are not going to compromise our stance,” Kandeh declared.
While emphasizing that the GDC respects public institutions and officeholders, Kandeh urged those in authority to uphold national interest above personal or political agendas.
“We cannot keep sacrificing for five years only for the IEC to blindfold us in broad daylight. Those days are gone,” he added.
The GDC leader congratulated the newly appointed IEC leadership, urging them to maintain neutrality and perform their duties with integrity, warning that any deviation from their mandate would tarnish their credibility as servants of the people.
Honourable Kandeh also alleged that in both the 2016 and 2021 electoral cycles, certain actions of the IEC almost destabilized the nation. He accused the commission of continuing voter registration secretly after the official deadline during the 2021 exercise, an act he described as “illegal and dishonest.”
“After the official closure of voter registration, they went behind to continue registering people. This is against the law and does not represent the truth,” he claimed.
He further alleged that government officials used public resources to influence voters during previous elections, especially on the eve of polling day, calling for an end to such practices in 2026.
It could be recalled that following the announcement of the 2021 presidential election results, both the GDC and the United Democratic Party (UDP) rejected the outcome, citing electoral irregularities.
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By: Kemo Kanyi The leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), Honourable Mama Kandeh, has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission…
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