GAMBIA · ELECTIONS
Key Facts
- The country The Gambia is a small West African nation that voted out Yahya Jammeh in 2016 after 22 years.
- Why it matters President Adama Barrow seeks a third term in the vote on Saturday 5 December.
- What happened On Friday 30 October the election commission published 27 filing slots, from Tuesday 3 to Wednesday 11 November.
- What it means for you A D1 million (US$13,714) deposit and 5,000 voter signatures per candidate may thin the field.
- Still open Which filings pass the checks, and when the campaign period opens, is not yet clear.
- Prediction markets Polymarket gives Adama Barrow a 66.5% chance of winning on 5 December, on US$14,143 of election-wide volume, as of 7:53 a.m. ET on 30 October 2026.
The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has published a day-by-day timetable for presidential nominations, with 27 filing slots between Tuesday 3 November and Wednesday 11 November 2026. The timetable went up on the commission’s website on Friday 30 October and covers 12 political parties and 15 named independent aspirants, five weeks before the vote on Saturday 5 December.
It is the first official order of filing for the presidency, and it puts President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party (NPP) on Tuesday 10 November and the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) on Monday 9 November. For US readers, it is the earliest hard signal of how crowded the race will be in a West African democracy where Americans are told to exercise increased caution, and earlier coverage of the opposition coalition talks explains who might unite.
In Plain English
The IEC is the independent body that runs Gambian elections, registers political parties and clears candidates for the ballot. Nomination is the formal step in which a party or an individual hands in papers, voter signatures and a deposit.
An independent aspirant is a candidate without a party who must meet the same qualifications as party candidates. A correction day is a short window after filing in which a candidate can fix missing documents.
What the IEC Published
Each filing slot lasts one hour, with three slots a day at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. from Tuesday 3 November to Wednesday 11 November. Thursday 12 November has no slots, while Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November are reserved for receiving corrections.
Party slots run from the All Inclusive Party on Tuesday 3 November to the NPP on Tuesday 10 November, with UNITE, a party whose registration the IEC announced on 1 July 2026, on Saturday 7 November. The schedule also uses Sunday 8 November, when the People’s Alliance Party files, and the last filing day, Wednesday 11 November, goes to three independent aspirants.
The nomination window itself was set earlier, when the commission announced in September that forms would be available from 21 September and filing would run from 3 to 14 November. Its own list of the candidates for the 4 December 2021 vote shows six names, so the checks will decide how crowded the ballot becomes this time.
What a Candidate Must Bring
The IEC told a stakeholder forum in September that every presidential candidate needs at least 5,000 signatures from registered voters, including at least 200 from each administrative area. The forum also heard that each voter who backs a candidate must list a telephone number.
Candidates must also file a sworn declaration of assets, a tax clearance certificate and a deposit slip for D1 million (US$13,714 at D72.92 per US$, the central bank’s official rate on 30 October 2026) paid into the commission’s bank account. The IEC’s chief electoral officer told the forum that cash will not be accepted at the nomination table and that independents must add a campaign symbol, a colour and photographs.
What Prediction Markets Say
Traders on Polymarket, an online prediction platform, give Barrow a 66.5% chance of winning on 5 December, with opposition leader Ousainou Darboe at 22.5% as of 7:53 a.m. ET on 30 October. All candidates together have drawn about US$14,100 in volume, which makes this a thin market that a few orders can move.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for You
The US Embassy in Banjul’s website lists The Gambia at Level 2, exercise increased caution, and showed no election-specific alert on Friday 30 October. Travellers should allow extra time near crowded political events between Tuesday 3 and Saturday 14 November.
Investors, importers and families who send money home get a clear set of dates to watch, because the final candidate list will only be known after the correction days. The remittance-dependent economy and the wider West African region will feel the result of the 5 December vote.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how many of the 27 filings will pass the commission’s checks, because the IEC’s chief electoral officer has said every signature and voter card number will be verified. The final list will only be clear after the correction days on Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November.
The campaign calendar is also unclear, because the commission’s website shows two versions one day apart, 10 November to 3 December in its electoral calendar and 9 November to 2 December on its events page. The events page also still lists nominations from 30 October to 5 November, so neither version has been updated to match the new filing dates.
It is likewise unclear who stands behind each party slot, since the schedule lists party names and independent aspirants but not the candidates the parties will field. Whether opposition parties will merge behind a single flagbearer before the deadline is also open.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Gambia’s presidential nominations open and close?
Nominations run from Tuesday 3 November to Saturday 14 November 2026. Filing slots end on Wednesday 11 November, and Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November are for corrections.
How much does it cost to run for president in The Gambia?
Each candidate must deposit D1 million (US$13,714) into the commission’s bank account. The IEC’s chief electoral officer has said cash will not be accepted at the nomination table.
When is the Gambia presidential election?
The Gambia votes on Saturday 5 December 2026, with polling stations open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time. The commission’s website carries a countdown to that date.
Is it safe for Americans to visit The Gambia during the campaign?
The US Embassy in Banjul’s website lists Level 2, exercise increased caution, and showed no election-specific alert on 30 October. Visitors should expect crowds near political events and follow embassy updates.
Sources: Independent Electoral Commission, nomination schedule for the presidential election of 5 December 2026, public notice of 30 October 2026; Independent Electoral Commission, Electoral Calendar 2026-2027; Independent Electoral Commission, campaign period event page; Independent Electoral Commission, 2021 presidential election candidates; Independent Electoral Commission, press release on the registration of AIP and UNITE, 1 July 2026; Central Bank of The Gambia, official exchange rates, 30 October 2026; US Embassy in The Gambia, travel advisory notice, read 30 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief