Wanep Poll Shows 66% Trust In IEC

The Gambia branch of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (Wanep), has revealed that 66 per cent of Gambians surveyed have confidence in the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to conduct free, fair, transparent and credible elections on 5th December, 2026.

The findings were presented during a validation workshop yesterday on the Citizen Opinion Poll on Democratic Governance and Elections in The Gambia.

The poll was conducted under the Electoral Violence Monitoring, Analysis and Mitigation (E-MAM) Project, with support from the European Union (EU). It sought to capture the views and experiences of citizens on democratic governance, electoral processes, political participation, accountability and the country’s democratic environment.

The workshop brought together representatives of relevant institutions, civil society organisations, the EU Delegation, election observers and other stakeholders to examine and validate the findings.

Presenting the results, Wanep highlighted public perceptions of democratic governance, preparations for the 2026 elections, voter education, electoral security and mechanisms for resolving election-related disputes.

On democratic governance, the survey found that 55.1 per cent of respondents were satisfied with how democracy is functioning in The Gambia. Perceived improvements in democratic freedoms, particularly freedom of expression, contributed to their positive assessment.

The poll also revealed strong public support for the 2020 Draft Constitution, which attracted 78.6 per cent preference, compared to 21.4 per cent for the 2024 Draft Constitution. Support for the 2020 draft was particularly pronounced among young people aged 18 to 34 and male respondents.

Regarding inclusion and political participation, 76.4 per cent expressed satisfaction with efforts to facilitate youth participation, while 79.4 per cent were satisfied with initiatives promoting women’s participation in the forthcoming elections.

The media also featured prominently, with 78.1 per cent believing journalists are free to report on elections without government censorship. Of these, 46.1 per cent described the media as completely free, while 32 per cent said it was free.

As the country prepares for the December 2026 presidential election, approximately 75 per cent of respondents expressed satisfaction with the IEC’s overall preparations. This included 41 per cent who were fairly satisfied and 34 per cent who were very satisfied.