By Makutu Manneh
Political analyst Biran Gai has urged The Gambia’s opposition parties to approach coalition negotiations with greater realism, arguing that any alliance seeking to challenge President Adama Barrow in the December 2026 presidential election will need the participation of the United Democratic Party (UDP), the country’s largest opposition party.
“I think they need all opposition parties together, especially the UDP. UDP is the biggest opposition party in The Gambia; therefore, any chances of a coalition succeeding in The Gambia, I think you will need the support of the UDP, whether they lead or not; that is something to be decided by all of them,” he said.
His comments come as opposition parties continue discussions over the possibility of presenting a united front in next year’s election, amid persistent questions about leadership and the viability of a coalition.
Gai said political fragmentation extends beyond the ruling National People’s Party (NPP), noting that divisions within the opposition have also reshaped the political landscape. He pointed to the emergence of breakaway groups led by Talib Ahmed Bensouda and National Unity Party (NUP) leader Lamin J. Darboe, both former members of the UDP, as evidence that opposition support is now spread across multiple parties.
Despite those divisions, he maintained that the UDP remains central to any credible coalition effort.
Gai also cautioned opposition leaders against attempting to recreate the coalition that defeated former President Yahya Jammeh in 2016, arguing that the political conditions that produced that alliance no longer exist.
According to Gai, the 2016 coalition emerged at a moment when widespread concerns over human rights abuses and authoritarian rule had united Gambians behind a common national objective.
The current political environment, he argued, is fundamentally different under President Adama Barrow. Even so, Gai said a new basis for opposition cooperation can still be forged if parties are willing to build broad consensus.
Such an effort, he added, would require an unprecedented level of unity across the opposition, with the UDP playing a role.
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