By Fatou Sillah
Kemo Bojang, the UNITE Party’s deputy leader for political matters and media relations, has sought to draw a distinction between Coalition 2026, which is backing Talib Bensouda for president, and the UDP-led Gambia First initiative, describing one as a response to public calls for opposition unity and the other as an endorsement of a political party.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Bojang said Coalition 2026 was formed in response to demands from Gambians for opposition parties and political actors to unite ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
“The difference between Coalition 2026 and Gambia First endorsement is that this is a body built by the Gambian people, whereas this one is a body that is endorsing a political party to venture into an election,” he said.
Mr. Bojang argued that while any political party has the right to contest an election, an alliance formed primarily to support a particular party should not be presented as representing the broader public in the same way he believes Coalition 2026 does.
He also said Coalition 2026 intends to make its governing agreement public and introduce measures designed to strengthen transparency and accountability if it wins the election.
According to Mr. Bojang, the coalition agreement would be made available for public scrutiny, and a code of conduct would set out standards expected of the president. He said the president would also be required to declare his assets.
Government contracting, he added, would be conducted through an open tender process.
“We will also make sure that government contracts that are going to be awarded will be tendered and will be public tenders,” he said.
Mr. Bojang said the coalition also plans to involve the public in developing its manifesto, which he described as a contract between Coalition 2026 and the Gambian people.
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