By Makutu Manneh
Suwaibou Touray, the secretary general of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism and National Assembly member for Wuli East, said on Thursday that he intends to seek his party’s nomination for the December 5 presidential election.
In an interview with Kerr Fatou, Mr. Touray said he would present himself to party members as a prospective flag-bearer and would contest if nominated.
“If I am elected, then we will negotiate with other parties on how to form a coalition,” he said. “We are being approached by parties, but we informed them to give us time to select our flag-bearer. We are also listening to Team Gambia and others to see what terms we can come to in forming a coalition.”
His remarks signal the early stages of maneuvering among opposition parties ahead of the vote, as discussions intensify over whether to mount a unified challenge.
Mr. Touray said PDOIS would be ready within a month to begin formal coalition talks, adding that the party remained open to discussions with all political actors. He emphasized that any alliance should be grounded in clearly negotiated and inclusive terms, with participating parties identifying priority areas from their respective manifestos.
Citing lessons from the 2016 opposition coalition, which brought an end to more than two decades of rule by former President Yahya Jammeh, Mr. Touray said future arrangements should spell out governance structures in advance, including the allocation of key positions. He added that coalition agreements should provide safeguards, such as preventing the dismissal of ministers nominated by coalition partners without parliamentary approval.
Mr. Touray also pointed to what he described as a longstanding failure to institute presidential term limits in The Gambia since independence. “Anyone who becomes president will prevent this from happening,” he said, arguing that a credible coalition must demonstrate a firm commitment to enacting such reforms.
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