We provide high-quality and balanced information about the elections. We combine investigation journalism, factchecking and media and election campaign monitoring of hate/dangerous/offensive speeches.

Who will win the race to State House

On paper, President Adama Barrow is the candidate to beat. He has consistently led in the polls. He enjoys the support of a grand coalition; one bigger than the group that backed him to victory five years ago, at least in terms of the number of political entities. If each of the coalition partners pulled their weight, Barrow will not be within sight of his opponents. However, what will happen on the ground could be different. The eleventh-hour resurgence of PDOIS’ Halifa Sallah and GDC’s Mama Kandeh as well the incursion of newbie Essa Faal into what is supposed to be...

December 8, 2021Election Hub, Feature
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Fake news alert! UDP has not filed a petition at the Supreme Court

There is an audio going viral on WhatsApp groups claiming the United Democratic Party has filed a petition at the Supreme Court against the December 4 presidential election results.The December 4 presidential election in the Gambia has given President Adama Barrow a lead, amassing 53% of the votes cast. All but two major contenders, the Gambia Democratic Congress and United Democratic Party, have contested the results of the polls declared free and fair by local and international observers. A voice of an unnamed individual calling for a protest and violence is saying there is a UDP petition coming at the...

December 7, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Misinformation alert: the results of presidential elections that gave Adama Barrow a lead has not been rejected by any court!!!

A video of the European Union Election Observer Mission ’chief election observer is being shared on WhatsApp by people, attributing claims to him that the results of the 2021 presidential election which gave Adama Barrow a lead has been rejected by a court. It did not specify which courts have heard the case. The video of Chief Observer Norbert Neuser was edited to a portion where he said: “The IEC has been held in high esteem by stakeholders since the 2016 presidential election. This public standing was, however, diminished AFTER COURT FINDINGS THAT THE IEC HAD ACTED UNLAWFULLY. The...

December 6, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Hate speech alert: NPP National President incites other tribes against UDP, Mandinkas

The National President of the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), Dembo Bojang, commonly called Dembo ‘By Force’ has made comments flagged as hate speech by Malagen media monitoring desk. The veteran politician was speaking at the NPP-led alliance rally in Bakau on Monday, November 29th as President Adama Barrow continues his election campaign tour for his re-election. In his speech, he called on other tribes to gang up to prevent the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) from winning in the December 4th presidential election.  Mr. Bojang who is the religious adviser to the president said all ethnic groups other than Mandinkas are at risk...

December 1, 2021Election Hub, Media Monitoring
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Factsheet: Important things to know about the election day

The Gambia will hold its first presidential election since Jammeh on Saturday 4 December 2021. At least 962,157 people registered to vote across the country. Here are some important facts about the election: Who are the candidates?   The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) confirmed the nomination of six presidential candidates to contest the polls. The parties and their candidates are (alphabetical order):            Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh – National Unity Party (NUP)·         Adama Barrow – National People’s Party (NPP)·         Essa Mbaye Faal – Independent Candidate·         Halifa Sallah – People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS)·         Mamma Kandeh – Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC)·         Ousainou ANM Darboe...

December 1, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Fake: Halifa Sallah has not told voters to accept money from corrupt politicians, and then vote for System Change

This statement has been carefully studied by the Malagen media monitoring desk. We are currently monitoring all election campaigns, including the PDOIS presidential campaign and have reviewed the campaign addresses made by Halifa Sallah. But we have found no evidence that Sallah made the statements being attributed to him.

November 30, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Race to State House: What presidential candidates paid in tax

Up to six candidates are vying to become president. Whoever wins on December 4 will manage taxpayers’ funds. But how much are the people seeking to make decisions over taxes in themselves paying in tax? In this investigation, Malagen digs out the tax records of the presidential candidates for the 2021 presidential elections and reveals how much each of them have paid in income tax - taxes paid on a business or deducted from salary – covering the period 2017 to date.

November 30, 2021Election Hub, Investigations, The Big Story
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Dangerous Speech Alert: ‘This Donkey’

The former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, now exiled in Equatorial Guinea since his election defeat in 2016 has recently addressed a meeting via internet call conducted at a Kombo South settlement in Berending where he had referred to his successor Adama Barrow as a donkey, a comment flagged by Malagen media monitoring as dangerous speech.  As The Gambia goes to polls to elect a president on December 4, Jammeh’s breakaway faction of the officially recognised Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) has joined the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC), led by Mama Kandeh- his former National Assembly Member. He has since been...

November 28, 2021Election Hub, Media Monitoring
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Hate speech alert: Essa Faal is Ahmadiyya, Serahules should deny him vote

The comments made by the founder of the Gambia Action Party (GAP) Musa Yali Batchilly towards the independent candidate Essa Mbye Faal have been flagged as hate speech by the Malagen media monitoring desk. Speaking at an NPP political rally, he labeled Faal as Ahmadis, declared him an enemy of Prophet Muhammed and called on his fellow Serahule tribes’ people to deny him their vote. Context Musa Yali Batchilly is the founder of one of the many new political parties, the Gambia Action Party (GAP). He holds the title of party leader and Secretary General. However, he has been suspended from the party earlier...

November 20, 2021Election Hub, Media Monitoring
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Fact check: Ousainu Darboe was the leader of the pressure group dubbed ‘3 Years Jotna

Claim: The leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) is the chief executive of the ‘Three Years Jotna’ Source: Incumbent Adama Barrow Verdict: The claim is false During the 2016 presidential election campaign, Barrow made a campaign promise that if elected, he would serve for only three years, instead of constitutionally mandated five years. He would then preside over a fresh election on a levelled-playing field in which he would not participate. This promise was premised on the agreement he had with seven political party leaders and other independent candidates that backed him. According to the agreement, the president should resign in January 2020 having been sworn...

November 15, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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