Bensouda: Coalition candidate must not be selected based on party size

The Unite Movement for Change (UMC) leader Talib Bensouda has rejected the notion that the size of a political party should determine who leads the opposition coalition ahead of the 2026 presidential election, arguing that trust, shared values, and national vision must come first.

Speaking on Eye Africa TV recently, Bensouda argued: “Individual party numbers don’t matter. If your party can win you an election, then you don’t need to enter a coalition.” 

He said in the current Gambian political equation, coalition-building should not be reduced to a contest of electoral weight.

If opposition parties choose to unite behind a single ticket, Bensouda said the priority should be selecting a candidate capable of commanding broad national support, not one whose party simply claims the largest base.

“If a coalition is to be formed, we must elect a candidate who can unify us and will be accepted by Gambians,” Bensouda said. He endorsed recent remarks by Essa Faal of APP-Sobeyaa that coalition leadership should not be automatically awarded based on a party’s numerical strength.

Reflecting on the 2016 opposition coalition that defeated former president Yahya Jammeh, Bensouda argued that the experience proved political influence within a coalition cannot be measured by party size alone.

“You see, in 2016, big political parties didn’t matter. Even though UDP played a key role in that coalition, another scenario could have happened if UDP was not part of it and Mamma Kandeh [of GDC] agreed to enter,” he said.

The point, he stressed, is that coalitions succeed when built on strategic alignment and public credibility, not arithmetic.

While affirming support for coalition-building in principle, Bensouda said opposition parties must first establish mutual confidence and ideological coherence before entering any arrangement.

“We are not against coalition, but we must trust each other and have the same ideology,” he said. “Being in a coalition where there is distrust against each other is something one has to be careful about before entering into it.”

He cautioned against rushing negotiations, warning that alliances formed without genuine trust and shared objectives often collapse under pressure.

Bensouda’s remarks come as discussions around a potential 2026 opposition coalition intensify, with various parties weighing the costs and benefits of unity versus independence.