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.

Fact sheet: important decisions and timelines on presidential elections calendar

The Independent Electoral Commission has cleared 6-candidates for Gambia’s December 4 presidential elections. Below are the key information you need to know. Accepted nominations A.N.M Ousainu Darboe – United Democratic Party; Mamma Kandeh – Gambia Democratic Congress; Halifa Baboucarr Sallah – Peoples’ Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism; Adama Barrow – National Peoples’ Party, Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh – National Unity Party and an independent candidate Essa Mbye Faal. Cancellations Independent candidates Mathew Gomez, Tamsir M. Jassey and Mamadou Bah and political parties Gambia For All and All Peoples’ Party have cancelled their nominations. Rejected candidates The electoral authorities rejected nomination of 15 candidates due to non-compliance...

November 14, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Dangerous speech alert: UDP leader’s remarks towards Serahuli community

The leader of opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) Ousainou Darboe’s comments with respect to how the Serahule people allegedly voted in the 2016 presidential elections have been flagged as dangerous speech by Malagen media monitoring. Mr Darboe’s comments were made on October 17, 2021, during a political rally held in Basse Koba Kunda, in the Upper River Region (URR). The event was part of the party’s nationwide tour to popularise their 5-Point Agenda – a manifesto -  for the Dec. 4 presidential election. The Serahule or Soninke make up 9 percent of the country’s population. According to Darboe, they did not...

November 12, 2021Election Hub, Media Monitoring
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Fact check: Ousainou Darboe threatens to deport Senegalese if elected into office

Claim: Ousainou Darboe, the leader of the United Democratic Party threatens to deport Senegalese if he is elected president Source: Senego (Senegalese medium) Verdict: Unverifiable claim, UDP denied such statements Senegalese online paper, Senego, has published an article in French on the November 13, 2021 title ‘Gambia: Candidate Ousseynou Dabo threatens to extricate Senegalese if elected President.’ The person who authored the report on Senego is Cheikh Tidiane Kandé. The article was reproduced by other online outlets, including Buzz Senegal and News.in-24 sites. Claim Gambians are heading to polls to elect a president on December 4. Campaigns are on high gear as candidates tour the...

November 10, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Fact check: is report on Barrow’s property ownership in Senegal true?

Claim: Senegalese investigative journalist Pape Ale Niang says incumbent Adama Barrow, tourism minister Hamat Bah own property in Senegal Source: Widely circulated on social media Verdict: false Gambians are heading to polls on December 4, and campaigns on what is a competition of 6 candidates for country’s top job has begun on November 9. Personal attacks, misinformation and disinformation increases with rising political tension. In the last few weeks, a widely circulated message on social media and WhatsApp claims a Senegalese journalists Pape Ale Niang said incumbent Adama Barrow and his tourism minister Hamat Bah had procured properties in Senegal. Claim A widely circulated information attributed...

November 9, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Fact check: is report on Barrow’s property ownership in Senegal true?

Claim: Senegalese investigative journalist Pape Ale Niang says incumbent Adama Barrow, tourism minister Hamat Bah own property in SenegalSource: Widely circulated on social mediaVerdict: false  Gambians are heading to polls on December 4, and campaigns on what is a competition of 6 candidates for country’s top job has begun on November 9. Personal attacks, misinformation and disinformation increases with rising political tension.  In the last few weeks, a widely circulated message on social media and WhatsApp claims a Senegalese journalists Pape Ale Niang said incumbent Adama Barrow and his tourism minister Hamat Bah had procured properties in Senegal.  Claim A widely circulated information attributed...

November 9, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Independent Candidate Faal Declares Over A Billion Worth Of Assets To IEC

A former lead counsel of the truth commission established to investigate the human rights violations of ex-president Yahya Jammeh who is now an independent presidential candidate, Essa Faal, has declared at least D1.4 billion worth of assets to Independent Electoral Commission. Faal, an international lawyer shot to fame through his work at the truth commission, is one of the 6 candidates qualified to vie for country’s top job, announced IEC on Saturday. He faces Ousainou Darboe of United Democratic Party, Mama Kandeh of Gambia Democratic Congress, Halifa Sallah of Peoples’ Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism, president Adama Barrow of National Peoples’...

November 8, 2021Election Hub, Investigations
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Fact Check: Coalition Sacks All Non-Mandinkas From Top Gov’t Jobs

Claim: The coalition gov’t sacked non-Mandinkas from top gov’t jobs Source: Ex-leader Yahya Jammeh Verdict: The claim is false. Since Jammeh left for exile in Equatorial Guinea in January 2017, he has kept a low profile. That changed recently. After the Gambian leader Adama Barrow visited home village of Kanilai, few days after his party signed a coalition agreement with Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party, Jammeh called his first rally in Kanilai. He distanced himself from Barrow, and a faction of his party that signed an alliance with him, causing in split in APRC. Jammeh’s faction of APRC later joined the Gambia Democratic...

November 8, 2021Election Hub, Factchecking
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Gambia’s electoral authorities clear 6 to contest presidential elections

The Independent Electoral Commission has accepted the nomination of 6 candidates to contest the 2021 presidential elections, disqualifying 15. In a statement read before journalists on Saturday evening, the chairman of the electoral commission, Alieu Mamour Njai, said 5 people have cancelled their nominations. The 6 candidates are Ousainou Darboe of United Democratic Party, Mama Kandeh of Gambia Democratic Congress, Halifa Sallah of Peoples’ Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism, president Adama Barrow of National Peoples’ Party, independent candidate Essa Mbaye Faal and Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh of National Unity Party. Gambians head to polls on December 4, in what is expected to...

November 8, 2021Current Affairs, Election Hub
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Gambian Leader Adama Barrow’s assets revealed

The Gambian leader Adama Barrow has declared at least D50.7 million worth of assets to electoral commission, Malagen has confirmed at the Independent Electoral Commission on Saturday. Gambians head to polls on December 4, in what is the small country’s most crowded presidential race since independence. Close to two dozen candidates are expected to be nominated, a final list of which will be announced on Saturday evening. According to Gambia’s electoral laws, candidates are required to declare their assets with the IEC. These asset declarations and other documents submitted by candidates were published for public scrutiny on Saturday morning. However, both members of...

November 6, 2021Election Hub, Investigations
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GMC leader files for nomination, says talks on coalition with 2 others is ongoing

The Gambia Moral Congress, the Citizens’ Alliance and All People’s Alliance have so far failed to reach an agreement on a common presidential candidate to lead their recently formed ‘Alliance for Change 2021, said Mai Ahmad Fatty on Monday. Fatty, a lawyer and key member of the coalition 2016—a 7-party political grouping that backed President Adama Barrow to power— has filed his nomination papers on Monday afternoon. Last week, the Citizens’ Alliance (CA), All People’s Party (APP), the National Unity Party (NUP), the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) and Gambia For All (GFA) party have called a meeting to signed an alliance agreement. However,...

November 3, 2021Current Affairs, Election Hub
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