By Ndey Sowe
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is seeking to recruit approximately 9,000 polling staff for the conduct of the presidential election scheduled for 5 December 2026.
IEC Chairman Joseph Colley disclosed this on Thursday, 22 October, during the Commission’s monthly stakeholder consultative forum held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo.
Mr Colley said the recruitment process was ongoing following an overwhelming response to the Commission’s call for applications. He explained that the shortlist of prospective polling officials had been published at the IEC’s ten regional election offices across the country.
According to him, interviews for the selection of polling staff commenced on 22 October and were expected to conclude by early the following week.
He said the final selection would be based on merit, experience and qualifications. Successful candidates would subsequently undergo orientation and training before being deployed to polling stations nationwide.
The IEC Chairman said the Commission was implementing several activities to ensure that the December presidential election would be peaceful, transparent and inclusive.
Mr Colley said sittings of the Revising Courts were nearing completion, with most cases reportedly dealt with. He expressed hope that the remaining cases would be concluded by the end of the week, within the 60-day period provided by law.
He explained that the completion of the court proceedings would pave the way for the finalisation of the voter register.
The Commission, he said, would begin compiling the register once the magistrates had signed the relevant documents. He added that the IEC would comply with court rulings, including the removal of names where ordered by the courts.
The final voter register would subsequently be provided to political parties in accordance with the law.
Citing Section 36(2)(b) of the Elections Act, Mr Colley said the Commission would provide political parties with soft copies of the master register and master supplementary register.
He added that any political party requesting a hard copy would be required to pay the cost of producing it.
The IEC Chairman described the voter registration process as transparent and inclusive, noting that political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders had been given opportunities to observe the exercise and use available legal channels to seek redress.
Assessment of Polling Stations
Mr Colley announced that the Commission would soon deploy teams across the country to assess the suitability of identified polling stations and make adjustments where necessary.
He said the number of polling stations was expected to increase to accommodate voters registered during the 2026 Supplementary Voter Registration exercise.
He also disclosed that accreditation of election observers and media practitioners was ongoing.
According to him, the Commission had received numerous applications and hoped to process them before the commencement of nominations and the election.
Nominations Scheduled for November
The IEC Chairman announced that nominations for the December presidential election would take place from 3 to 14 November 2026.
He disclosed that, as of the stakeholder forum on 22 October, nomination forms had been collected by 22 aspirants seeking to contest the presidential election.
Mr Colley said prospective candidates were expected to satisfy all nomination requirements established by law.
He added that the schedule indicating the order and times for the submission of nomination papers would be communicated in due course.
The Commission, he said, hoped the nomination process would be orderly and transparent, while urging all aspirants to comply with the applicable regulations.
Voter Education and Election Results Management
Mr Colley said voter education activities were ongoing and would be intensified to reach communities throughout the country.
He explained that the Commission planned to deploy teams to conduct face-to-face sensitisation in communities, alongside online campaigns through social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.
He acknowledged the contributions of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the European Union (EU) and other development partners in supporting the IEC’s voter education activities.
He further disclosed that the EU-UNDP GREAT project had engaged a communications consultant to strengthen the Commission’s communication and voter education efforts.
On election results management, Mr Colley said the Commission had begun taking steps to improve its capacity in that area.
He explained that a company had been contracted through the EU-UNDP GREAT project to support the initiative, which would involve the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform.
According to him, the platform was expected to enhance the accuracy and transparency of election results management.
The IEC Chairman expressed concern over the spread of fake news and misinformation, particularly on social media, warning that such practices could undermine the democratic process.
He urged the public and other actors to ensure that information concerning the electoral process was accurate and verifiable.
Mr Colley also condemned misleading information, hate speech and verbal provocation, warning that such conduct could contribute to conflict and violence.
He maintained that there was no place for violence in The Gambia and called on all stakeholders to protect the country’s longstanding tradition of peace and harmony.
Mr Colley assured stakeholders that the Commission remained open to providing clarification and relevant information on the electoral process.
He expressed appreciation to government departments and agencies, political parties, civil society organisations, the media and development partners, particularly the UNDP, EU and ECOWAS, for their support.
He said the Commission remained open to further collaboration and partnerships aimed at strengthening the credibility, transparency and inclusiveness of The Gambia’s electoral process.
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