By Omar Bah
A recent poll reveals that only 27 percent of Gambians express confidence in the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), signaling a profound crisis of credibility as the country heads towards the December 5, 2026, presidential election.
The Centre for Policy, Research, and Strategic Studies (CepRass) survey, released yesterday, funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, painted a grim picture of public faith in the IEC amid preparations for a fiercely contested race involving over 20 political parties.
Just 27 percent of respondents voiced trust in the commission’s ability to deliver free and fair polls, with major concerns centering on vote buying, voter registration flaws, and result manipulation vulnerabilities.
According to CepRass, public confidence in the electoral commission is cautious – only about a quarter expressed high confidence indicating a potential trust gap that could impact perceptions of election.
“While a slight majority of Gambians view past elections as having been free and fair, a substantial minority – especially in certain regions, among youth, and among some educated groups – harbour doubts about electoral integrity,” the report added.
The report highlighted that only 18 percent are very confident that the 2026 presidential elections will be free and fair, 27% confident, 29% not very confident, 16% not at all confident and 19% say they don’t know.
However the findings also indicated that depite this reservations, 100% respondents in Banjul, 93% – Basse, 94% – Brikama, 100% – Janjanbureh, 83% Kanifing, 100% – Kerewan, 100% – Kuntaur and 100% Mansakonko have expressed their intention to participate in this year’s presidential election.
The poll results suggest a competitive political landscape, with a slight advantage for the incumbent in popularity sentiments, but also a large segment of undecided voters.
