Elections in Gambia

The IEC is a permanent constitutional commission with five members. It maintains the voter register, draws electoral boundaries, registers political parties, organizes public elections and referendums, announces results and conducts elections for parliamentary speakers and deputy speakers. National elections use constituencies, while local elections use wards. A presidential election uses a secret ballot and a five-year term. A candidate who receives more than half of all valid votes wins in the first ballot. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the IEC holds a second ballot within 14 days, and the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. A special rule applies when only one candidate stands and that candidate does not reach the required threshold, so the current constitutional and IEC instructions should be checked for the applicable procedure. The National Assembly has 53 directly elected seats. Each seat represents a single-member constituency, and the candidate with the highest number of votes wins under the First-Past-The-Post, or plurality, system. The President nominates five additional members. The legislative term is five years. Local government elections cover councillorship and mayoral or chairmanship elections in wards. The IEC also administers referendums. A voter generally qualifies when they are a Gambian citizen aged at least 18, have legal capacity and are not disqualified by law. Registration takes place personally at an IEC registration centre. The applicant can use a birth certificate, Gambian passport, National Identity Card or a certificate from a District Seyfo or Alkalo confirming the place of birth. Registration can be based on the place of residence or the place of birth. The IEC material reviewed does not state an official voter-registration fee. After registration, the voter receives a Voting Card showing the polling-station code. A voter can cast a ballot only at the registered polling station, and a photocopy of the card is not accepted. The law provides for an overseas voter register, but the IEC currently states that it has not been implemented. No postal, online or foreign polling method is established in the reviewed IEC material. A Gambian living abroad who returns during the registration period can register in the constituency of origin and later vote in national or local elections only there. Candidates participate through IEC-registered political parties or approved independent candidacies. The nomination process includes nomination papers, scrutiny, correction and withdrawal procedures, and candidates submit an asset declaration at nomination. Campaigning follows the IEC calendar. The IEC currently lists 24 registered political parties, but party registration and candidacy information can change. The reviewed official material does not verify the amount of any candidate deposit or nomination fee. At a polling station, a team normally includes a Presiding Officer, Assistant Presiding Officer, Polling Officer and Assistant Polling Officer. Polls are scheduled from 08:00 to 17:00. People already waiting at 17:00 may still vote. Staff check the Voting Card, polling station, name in the register and identity-related details. Voting is not allowed for a person serving a prison term, legally disqualified, judged of unsound mind or intoxicated. The IEC FAQ recognizes the voting eligibility of people with physical or mental disabilities. The standard voting method uses a physical token and drum rather than a paper ballot. After the checks, officials record a serial mark, apply indelible ink to the voter's left index finger, provide the relevant marble or token and direct the voter to place it in the selected candidate's ballot drum. The drums and seals protect the count until polling closes. Counting takes place at the polling station. Officials first check the seals and token account, break the seals, count and sort the tokens in groups of seven, and display the trays to candidate agents and observers. They complete a Counting Form for each candidate, refill and reseal the drums, and obtain the agents' signatures on the close-of-poll report. Agents receive a copy, and a copy is displayed at the polling centre and sent to the collation centre. Constituency results go to the Regional Electoral Officer, after which the IEC disseminates and announces the results. The IEC accredits domestic and international observers. Accreditation can cover registration, polling, counting, collation and result dissemination. Observers must remain neutral, avoid obstructing officials, refrain from addressing voters and must not announce results. The IEC can withdraw accreditation for violations. Candidate agents and accredited observers can monitor the count; no more than two polling or counting agents are allowed for each candidate. A presidential-election petition may be filed with the Supreme Court by a participating registered political party or independent candidate within 10 days after the result is announced. Disputes about the voter register follow objections and appeals, with hearings before Revising Courts. The reviewed IEC material does not establish an automatic nationwide recount. Counting Forms, seal records and collation documents provide the principal evidence for checking the reported result. For the 2026 presidential cycle, the IEC calendar lists nominations from 26 October to 6 November, itinerary reconciliation from 7 to 9 November, campaigning from 10 November to 3 December, withdrawal until 27 November, a cooling-off period on 4 December and polling on 5 December 2026. The listed next dates are National Assembly nominations from 6 to 14 March 2027 and polling on 10 April 2027, councillorship elections on 22 May 2027 and mayoral or chairmanship elections on 26 June 2027. Current IEC notices and the Gazette take precedence if dates or procedures change.