11 November 2026
IEC Chairman Joseph Colley | Photo: Kerr Fatou Media
At a glance
On Monday 9 November, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) gave a public update on presidential nominations. At that stage, only one aspirant, Talib Ahmed Bensouda, had satisfied all nomination requirements. No final list of candidates has been published yet.
| Figure | Count |
| Anticipated presidential nomination submissions | 18 |
| Submissions received by day six | 12 |
| Collected papers but did not submit (considered withdrawn) | 6 |
| Unprocessed: D1,000,000 deposit not paid | 4 |
| Unprocessed: Gambia Labour Party (dual citizenship) | 1 |
| Processed or reviewed | 7 |
| Processed with all requirements met | 1 |
The figures are consistent: 12 received + 6 withdrawn = 18, and 4 + 1 + 7 = 12.
Key dates: submission of nomination papers opened on 3 November and closes on 14 November 2026.
Status of processed submissions (7)
Shortfalls are the additional voter signatures the IEC requested. The national threshold is 5,000 signatures.
| Aspirant | Party | Signature shortfall | Other outstanding items |
| Talib Ahmed Bensouda | Unite Movement for Change | None | None. All nomination requirements satisfied |
| IsatouTouray | Independent | Kerewan 12 | None stated |
| ModouLaminSima | Alliance of Progressive Citizens (APC) | National 1,040 | None stated |
| AnsuSanneh | National Builders Party (NBP) | Banjul 144, Basse 23, National 379 | Citizenship verification ongoing |
| EbrimaTaboraManneh | People’s Alliance Party (PAP) | Kanifing 57, Mansa Konko 1, Kuntaur 3, National 1,507 | None stated |
| Kebba Madi Bojang | National Democratic Party (NDP) | Banjul 5, Kanifing 21, National 1,914 | Senior secondary school certificate under verification |
| Bakary K. Badgie | Independent | Banjul 125, Kanifing 36, Kerewan 110, Mansa Konko 127, Janjanbureh 44, Basse 91, National 2,310 | None stated |
Submissions awaiting processing (5)
| Aspirant | Party | Reason |
| Not named in the update | Democratic Party | D1,000,000 deposit not paid |
| SalieuJallow | Independent | D1,000,000 deposit not paid |
| AlieuSowe | Independent | D1,000,000 deposit not paid |
| Joseph Henry Joof | Independent | D1,000,000 deposit not paid |
| BakusaDukureh | Gambia Labour Party | Publicly acknowledged holding dual citizenship; senior secondary school certificate under verification |
Withdrawals (6)
These parties and aspirants collected nomination papers but did not submit them. The IEC considers them to have withdrawn.
| Party or aspirant | Note |
| All Inclusive Party (AIP) | None |
| Gambia Action Party (GAP) | None |
| National Unity Party (NUP) | Indicated its intention to join the Team Gambia Grand Coalition |
| Musa Jallow | Independent |
| IsmailaJobe | Independent |
| Alkali | Independent |
What the update does and does not say
| Claim | Verdict | Based on the update |
| “Bensouda has been declared a candidate.” | Misleading | He satisfied all requirements at this stage. The final list of duly nominated candidates has not been published. |
| “The other aspirants have been disqualified.” | False | The IEC said it would communicate required corrections. No one was disqualified. |
| “The six withdrawn aspirants were rejected.” | False | They did not submit their papers. The IEC considers them withdrawn. |
| “Dukureh has been barred.” | Unsupported | His submission has not been processed. No decision was announced. |
| “Only 12 aspirants are in the race.” | Incomplete | 12 had submitted by day six. Processing and corrections were continuing. |
Points to note
- The Democratic Party’s aspirant is not named in the update.
- The independent aspirant listed as “Alkali” is given one name only.
- AnsuSanneh’s papers are described as “reviewed”, while the other six are “processed”.
- IsatouTouray’s shortfall is for one administrative area only; no national shortfall is stated.
- The IEC said it will continue receiving and processing submissions, communicating corrections and giving updates before publishing the final list.
Source
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) public update on presidential nominations, Monday 9 November 2026.
