By Nelson Manneh
Twenty-five presidential aspirants have collected nomination forms ahead of the official nomination period for the country’s 5th December 2026 presidential election, as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) steps up preparations for the vote.
The Chairperson of the IEC, Joseph Colley, said nominations would run from November 3 to November 14, giving prospective candidates 12 days to submit their credentials and meet the legal requirements for contesting the presidency.
“Nominations will start from 3rd to 14th November, 2026. As of now, twenty-three Nomination Forms have been collected by different aspirants who want to contest in the 2026 Presidential Elections,” Colley said.
He said the Commission would announce the schedule showing when each prospective candidate would submit their nomination papers.
“Each aspirant is expected to fully meet all the Nomination requirements, as legally sanctioned. The schedule of Nominations (the timetable or the order in which prospective candidates will submit their papers) will be shared in due course,” he said.
“We hope this will be a very orderly and transparent process. We would like to call on all aspirants to abide by the stipulated regulations.”
The announcement comes as the IEC works to finalise the voter register, recruit polling staff, strengthen results management and expand voter education ahead of the December election.
Colley said misinformation and fake news, particularly on social media, remained a concern for the Commission because of their potential impact on the democratic process. He called on political actors and social media users to ensure that information about the electoral process was accurate and could be verified.
“Misleading information, hate speech and verbal provocation have no place in our society. I call on all such actors to desist from such actions, as it may be a source of conflict and violence,” he said.
“As far as The Gambia is concerned, there is no place for conflict and violence. The Gambia has been a haven of peace and harmony. We must continue to nurture these virtues.”
The IEC chairperson urged presidential aspirants and their supporters to respect the rules governing the electoral process as political activity gathers pace.
In a separate update on the election preparations, Colley said the voter registration process was approaching its final stage following the conclusion of hearings on objections to voter eligibility.
A total of 1,694 objections were submitted for review during the process, which involved questions relating to age, citizenship and alleged double registration arising from the 2026 supplementary voter registration exercise.
Colley said the Revising Court hearings were nearing completion and expressed hope that all outstanding cases would be resolved within the 60 days provided by law.
“Sittings of the Revising Court are nearing completion. I learned that most of the cases have been dealt with,” he said.
“I hope that all the remaining cases will be completed by the end of the week, within the 60-day timeline provided by law. This will pave the way for the finalisation of the voter registration process.”
Once the judicial review is completed, the IEC will compile the final voter register in accordance with the court decisions, including orders to remove names where necessary. Under Section 36(2)(b) of the Elections Act, Colley said, the Commission would provide political parties with copies of the final master register and master supplementary register.
Soft copies will be distributed to all political parties, while hard copies will be made available upon request, with the requesting party responsible for printing costs.
Colley said the registration process had been transparent and inclusive, with political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders given opportunities to observe the process and challenge disputed registrations through the legal system.
The Commission is also recruiting polling staff to support the December 5 election. Colley said the IEC had received a strong response to its recruitment exercise and had published shortlists across its 10 regional election offices.
Interviews had begun and were expected to conclude early the following week, with candidates to be selected according to their merit, experience and qualifications.
The Commission aims to recruit, train and deploy approximately 9,000 personnel to polling stations across the country.
Colley said the IEC would soon deploy teams across the country to assess the suitability of identified polling stations and make adjustments where necessary.
The number of polling stations is expected to increase to accommodate voters added during the 2026 supplementary registration exercise.
The Commission is also processing applications for accreditation from election observers and media organisations.
“Accreditation of Election Observers and the Media is ongoing. Currently, many applications have been received, and we hope to process them before the start of Nominations and Election,” Colley said.
Voter education is another priority. The IEC plans to expand community outreach through face-to-face sensitisation activities across the country, supported by online campaigns on platforms including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
The Commission has also begun work to improve its capacity to manage election results, with support from the EU-UNDP GREAT project.
Colley said a company had been contracted under the project to assist with the development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform for results management. The system is intended to improve the accuracy and transparency of election results as the country prepares for the presidential vote.