By Makutu Manneh
The leader of the National Democratic Party said this week that he remains confident his party will be officially registered by the country’s electoral commission in time to compete in December’s presidential election, even as the window for doing so narrows.
Kebba Madi Bojang, the party’s leader, made the comments during an appearance on “Politic Kachaa,” a weekly public affairs program on Kerr Fatou, when asked whether his party members had grown discouraged by the registration delay as the election drew closer.
“I am 100 percent optimistic that I.E.C. will register us as a political party before December’s presidential election,” Mr. Bojang said, referring to the Independent Electoral Commission.
He said his confidence stemmed from the party having already submitted all the documentation the commission had requested. But he made clear that the party’s plans for the election did not hinge on the commission’s decision.
Mr. Bojang said that even without formal registration, the party intended to contest the election by other means permitted under Gambian law, including running as an independent candidate. He noted that President Adama Barrow himself had first come to power through a coalition rather than as the nominee of a single registered party, and said his party was prepared to take a similar path if necessary.
“So whether I.E.C. registers us or not, we are contesting,” he said. “If I.E.C. does not register us, we will stand as an independent candidate.”
Mr. Bojang also aimed at the president’s political standing, asserting that many government officials who appear at Mr. Barrow’s public events have no intention of voting for him. He claimed that roughly eight in 10 such officials privately oppose the president, though he offered no evidence to support the figure.
He went on to argue that dissatisfaction with the government extends well beyond political circles, saying that ordinary Gambians are growing increasingly frustrated with economic hardship and the broader state of the country.
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