Analyst Gai: NPP’s Meet-the-People Tour Gives It a Head Start in the Campaign

By Makutu Manneh

Biran Gai, a political analyst, says President Adama Barrow’s ongoing Meet-the-People Tour has effectively become an early campaign platform for the ruling National People’s Party, giving the president an advantage ahead of the December election.

Speaking on Kerr Fatou, Gai said the tour appears to have moved beyond official government business, with NPP politicians and members of the president’s political alliance accompanying him, a development he said helps explain complaints from opposition parties.

While Gai said the NPP currently holds a slight advantage because of its incumbency, he cautioned that the outcome of the election remains far from certain.

“I believe the alliances that we see within the UDP and UNITE have chances that any of them could nick the elections,” he said. “I think it could be a closely contested race.”

Gai reiterated that no opposition alliance can realistically succeed without the United Democratic Party, which he described as the largest political party in The Gambia.

He said a broad and united opposition could put the NPP in a precarious position, drawing parallels with the political conditions that preceded the defeat of former President Yahya Jammeh in 2016.

According to Gai, the circumstances that could produce another change of government in December 2026 may require a similarly broad opposition coalition.

He said the balance of the race should become clearer as the election approaches but argued that opposition parties still have significant work to do, particularly in building unity and understanding The Gambia’s electoral history.

Gai noted that incumbents have historically enjoyed a significant advantage in Gambian presidential elections, with 2016 standing as the notable exception.

With political alliances and coalition negotiations still evolving, he said the electoral landscape remains fluid and could change considerably in the months ahead.