By Makutu Manneh
President Adama Barrow has declared that his alliance with the Gambia Democratic Congress has fundamentally altered The Gambia’s political landscape, predicting that the outcome of the December presidential election has effectively been settled months before voters head to the polls.
Speaking at his residence in Mankamang Kunda during a meeting with Mama Kandeh, the GDC leader, and members of his party, Mr. Barrow said the partnership between the GDC and his National People’s Party had strengthened his re-election prospects and reshaped the political contest.
The president went further, claiming that even his political opponents had privately concluded that the election was beyond their reach.
“All these jujus they have buried have been damaged,” Mr. Barrow said. “Even among themselves they have agreed that this election is over.”
Mr. Barrow, who has increasingly emphasized political alliances as his party prepares for the election, described himself as the country’s “master” of alliances and coalitions. He pointed to his decade of experience working with political partners, beginning with the opposition coalition that brought him to power in 2016.
The president urged supporters of the NPP and GDC to put aside differences and work together, acknowledging that members of the two parties come from different political and regional backgrounds.
“GDC and NPP members are now one,” he said. “Let us work because you only get rewarded when you put in the work.”
The alliance brings together two political forces that competed against each other in previous presidential elections. Mr. Kandeh challenged Mr. Barrow in both 2016 and 2021 before the GDC entered into an alliance with the governing NPP ahead of this year’s contest.
Mr. Barrow also said the partnership would be visible during his planned “Meet the People Tour” in September, predicting that the annual tour would take on a different character because of what he described as an extensive mobilization campaign by his supporters and allies.
In another confident prediction, the president said the leader of the United Democratic Party would eventually go to the Independent Electoral Commission and acknowledge defeat before the election.
Mr. Barrow offered no evidence that the UDP or its leadership had conceded the race.
The comments underscore the president’s growing confidence as the NPP seeks to consolidate its political alliances ahead of the December vote. But the election will ultimately be decided by Gambian voters, with Mr. Barrow expected to face opposition candidates seeking to deny him another term in office.
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