Ousainu ANM Darboe , Secretary General and Party Leader UDP
By Makutu Manneh
Ousainu Darboe, the leader of the opposition United Democratic Party, said that he is confident women voters would form the backbone of his campaign to win the presidency in December, citing their longstanding role in sustaining the party through decades of political struggle.
Speaking at a gathering of the party’s women’s wing, Mr. Darboe said his decision to seek the UDP’s flagbearership was driven in large part by what he described as the loyalty, resilience, and organizing strength of women within the party since its founding in the mid-1990s.
“Since 1996, the reason I have the courage to stand for the UDP flagbearership is because of the women of the UDP,” Mr. Darboe told supporters. He said the country’s current condition demanded collective action, urging party members to remain steadfast despite economic hardship or political pressure. “No amount of money, fear, or hunger should make us betray what the UDP stands for,” he said.
With the election less than a year away, Mr. Darboe told the gathering that preparations must begin immediately. “We are about ten months and a few days from the election,” he said. “The work starts now.”
He stressed that political change in The Gambia must come through the ballot box, noting that, aside from the 1994 military coup, the presidency has historically changed hands only through elections. “May God forbid such a thing from happening again,” he added, in an apparent reference to military intervention in politics.
Mr. Darboe reminded supporters that the power of the vote outweighed any use of force, arguing that no president could ultimately resist the will of the electorate. He pointed to the defeat of former President Yahya Jammeh in the 2016 election as evidence that ballots, not bullets, determine leadership.
Calling on supporters to intensify grassroots mobilization, Mr. Darboe urged Gambians to ensure that all eligible citizens register to vote during the forthcoming supplementary voter registration exercise, describing voter cards as the most effective tool for democratic change.
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