The United Democratic Party (UDP) has raised serious concerns over discrepancies in the recently concluded Supplementary Voter Registration exercise, urging the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to provide complete data to restore public confidence in the electoral process.
At a press briefing yesterday, UDP Secretary General and 2026 Presidential Flag-bearer H.E. Ousainu Darboe stressed that the party is not alleging fraud but seeking clarity to ensure the integrity of the voter register ahead of future polls.
Darboe explained that prior to the April 2026 registration, a UDP delegation met with IEC officials to address lingering issues, particularly preventing multiple registrations. The party offered technical expertise to strengthen safeguards, but the IEC cited time constraints as a barrier.
UDP deployed agents nationwide during the exercise. Following the IEC’s announcement at a June stakeholder forum that 212,095 Gambians had registered, the party’s IT team analyzed the dataset shared with political parties. That dataset listed only 179,445 registered voters a shortfall of 32,650.
After UDP protested, the IEC admitted that registrations from April 8 had been omitted and added 3,713 names, bringing the total to 183,163. This still left an unexplained gap of 28,932. The Commission later stated that 14,334 multiple registrations would be deducted, but 14,598 voters remain unaccounted for.
On July 16, UDP formally wrote to the IEC demanding:
– Full registration data before deletions
– Number of duplicates removed
– Final register after adjudication
– Extension of scrutiny period for adequate examination by stakeholders
Darboe emphasised that the party’s objective is confidence-building, not confrontation. “This is not about politics. It is about protecting the confidence of every Gambian voter in our democratic process,” he said.
The IEC has yet to issue a detailed public response to the UDP’s latest concerns. With upcoming electoral activities on the horizon, transparency in voter registration remains a critical issue for political stakeholders and citizens alike
