Darboe Says He ‘Never Lost’ an Election, Questions Credibility of Past Polls

By Seedy Jobe

The leader of the United Democratic Party, Ousainu Darboe, has challenged the legitimacy of previous election results in The Gambia, saying he does not believe he has ever fairly lost an election and alleging that polls held under former President Yahya Jammeh were marred by manipulation and irregularities.

Mr. Darboe made the remarks during an interview with Hill Top FM on Tuesday after he was asked why the coming election would be different, given his previous unsuccessful bids for the presidency.

“There is no election here that I have lost,” Mr. Darboe said.

He argued that elections conducted during Mr. Jammeh’s 22-year rule could not reasonably be considered free and fair and challenged political figures and ordinary Gambians to make the case that those contests met acceptable democratic standards.

Mr. Darboe, who repeatedly challenged Mr. Jammeh for the presidency, alleged that ballot boxes were swapped and that election materials were transported after voting hours without adequate oversight from party representatives.

He cited alleged incidents in the Kerewan Administrative Area, saying ballot boxes from Niumi were transported by ferry after 7 p.m. without party agents accompanying them. He also alleged that ballot boxes from Saloum and Sami were moved across the river at night.

“That’s what happened. They swapped boxes,” he said.

Mr. Darboe did not provide evidence during the interview to substantiate the allegations.

He rejected arguments that his previous electoral defeats demonstrated an inability to win the presidency, saying such conclusions ignore the conditions under which elections were conducted during the Jammeh era.

The UDP leader said his party had since taken steps to close what he described as loopholes in the electoral process and prevent similar irregularities from occurring.

He said those efforts were intended not merely to benefit the UDP but to protect the integrity of the broader electoral system.

Mr. Darboe also stressed that his concerns should not be interpreted as an attack on the Independent Electoral Commission. He said the UDP was not seeking to undermine the electoral body but wanted safeguards in place to ensure that elections are conducted transparently and credibly.