By Makutu Manneh
President Adama Barrow has credited what he described as democratic gains under his leadership for the rise in the number of candidates contesting The Gambia’s December 5 presidential election.
Speaking at a National People’s Party (NPP) rally in Yuna on Saturday, 14 November, Barrow contrasted this year’s field of nine candidates with the three who contested in 2016 and the six who ran in 2021. He said fear under former President Yahya Jammeh had deterred some would-be candidates from running in 2016.
“This year, nine candidates are contesting for the presidency, which has never happened in the history of The Gambia,” Barrow said.
“This shows that those who were hiding in 2016 and wanted positions but were afraid are now coming out.”
Barrow said he was proud that more people felt free to run for office and argued that his administration had helped create those conditions. He said democracy was essential to the country’s development and to giving people the confidence to do business.
The president urged Gambians to campaign peacefully and reject political violence. He also criticised politicians who, he said, were quick to threaten demonstrations in response to incidents he considered minor, arguing that such tactics did little to advance the country’s development.
Recalling his victory over Jammeh in 2016, Barrow said he had challenged the former president despite Jammeh’s wealth and control of the security forces. He said he had felt no fear then and saw no reason to feel fear now.
Barrow said his commitment to peace was central to his focus on development.
Comments are closed.