Darboe Urges Young Gambians to Vote for Change in December Election

By Fatou Sillah

ANM Ousainu Darboe, the leader of the United Democratic Party, has called on young Gambians to use the Dec. 5 presidential election to chart a new course for the country, arguing that the vote will give them an opportunity to shape The Gambia’s political future.

Speaking to young people, Mr. Darboe framed the election as a consequential choice between continuing under the current government and pursuing a change in leadership.

“On the 5th of December, I think you young people of The Gambia, this is your opportunity,” he said. “The Gambia that you want, the opportunity you have, is on the 5th of December.”

Mr. Darboe sharply criticized the government, accusing it of corruption, inefficiency, and failing to respond to the needs of Gambians adequately. He pointed in particular to challenges in the health care system, saying some patients with serious illnesses have been forced to appeal publicly for donations to seek treatment in neighboring Senegal.

“If you take the wrong decision of returning to power this corrupt, inefficient government, this insensitive government, this government that is not addressing your needs,” he said, citing the plight of people suffering from kidney failure and other serious medical conditions.

Mr. Darboe urged young voters to support his candidacy, pointing to his decades-long political career as evidence of what he described as his consistency and resilience.

“Vote Ousainu Darboe,” he said. “You know Ousainou Darboe; you know his track record, very consistent, very resilient. He has never at any time disappointed you Gambians; he has never at any time betrayed the cause in which you believe.”

Mr. Darboe also sought to present his candidacy as part of a transition to a younger generation of political leaders. He said a government led by the UDP would not seek to remain in power indefinitely and pledged to give younger Gambians greater opportunities to assume national leadership.

After five years under a UDP government, he said, the younger generation should be prepared to take greater responsibility for shaping the country’s future.

The appeal comes as political parties intensify their efforts to mobilize voters ahead of the Dec. 5 presidential election, with young Gambians expected to be an important constituency in the contest.