By Seedy Jobe
Former Vice President Dr. Isatou Touray on Saturday formally declared her candidacy for The Gambia’s presidency, positioning her campaign as a bid to revive the democratic aspirations of the 2016 political transition and address the country’s economic challenges ahead of the December 5 presidential election.
Dr. Touray launched her campaign at Brikama SSP before supporters, members of the media, and several political figures, including APP-Sobeyaa leader Essa Mbye Faal. The event marked her official entry into what is expected to be a closely contested presidential race.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Touray described her candidacy as part of a broader national effort to restore public confidence in democratic governance and deliver meaningful reforms.
She said Gambians at home and abroad had come together because they recognized the country’s current moment as one requiring decisive leadership.
Framing her campaign around the legacy of the 2016 democratic transition, Dr. Touray recalled how Gambians from different political, social, and regional backgrounds united to end more than two decades of authoritarian rule. She described that moment as a triumph of courage, hope, and national solidarity.
But she argued that many of the reforms envisioned after the transition remain unfinished.
According to Dr. Touray, although the country has since elected a third president, it has yet to achieve what she called a genuine Third Republic. She cited the lack of constitutional reform, incomplete security sector reforms, delayed transitional justice, weak institutions, limited youth empowerment, and shortcomings in accountable governance as evidence that the country’s democratic transformation remains incomplete.
“While dictatorship ended, the democratic transformation we envisioned remained incomplete,” she said, adding that many Gambians now feel disappointed and excluded from the progress they expected.
Dr. Touray said her decision to seek the presidency followed extensive consultations and careful reflection. She maintained that her candidacy is driven not by personal ambition but by a conviction that democracy must produce tangible improvements in people’s lives and honor the sacrifices made during the 2016 transition.
She also sought to present herself as a national candidate rather than one representing a single political party, pledging to unite citizens and draw on the country’s best ideas and talent to confront its challenges.
The former vice president outlined three priorities that she said would define her administration if elected.
The first is democratic renewal through stronger public institutions, constitutional safeguards, and greater accountability. The second is economic recovery, focused on job creation, reducing the cost of living, and improving household livelihoods. The third is energy transformation, which she described as essential to improving education, healthcare, business development, and overall national productivity.
Dr. Touray also criticized the government’s failure to replace the 1997 Constitution, saying Gambians had been promised reforms that included presidential term limits and stronger protections against authoritarian rule but continue to operate under the existing constitutional framework.
“Democracy is not simply the holding of elections every five years,” she said. “True democracy is built on strong institutions, constitutional safeguards, accountability, justice, and equal opportunity.”
Her declaration adds another prominent figure to the race for the presidency, setting the stage for a campaign expected to focus heavily on governance, constitutional reform, economic management, and the country’s democratic future.
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