Gambia: Electoral Commission Says 12 Presidential Aspirants Submit Papers As Six Withdraw

What the report says

The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission says 12 of the 18 people who picked up nomination papers for the presidential race had submitted them by Monday, November 9, while six had withdrawn from the process. The update was reported by Foroyaa and published through AllAfrica. IEC chairperson Joseph Colley said the nomination window opened on November 3 and is scheduled to close on November 14.

According to the commission, the six who stepped back after collecting papers were the All Inclusive Party, Gambia Action Party, National Unity Party, and three individual aspirants: Musa Jallow, Ismaila Joof and Alkali Cham. The IEC also said four of the submissions it had received were not yet processed because the required D1 million deposit had not been paid. Those cases involved the Democratic Party, Salifu Jallow, Yusupha Dumbuya and Joseph Henry Joof, with the last three running as independents.

The commission said it was still reviewing other applications and had not released a final candidate list. It flagged several aspirants as needing more signatures or documents before their nominations can be cleared, while also carrying out checks on citizenship and school certificates in some cases. One aspirant, Talib Ahmed Bensouda of the Unite Party, was said to have completed the requirements. The broader significance is that the IEC is still in the middle of vetting, so the field remains provisional until the deadline passes and approvals are finalized.