By Arret Jatta
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced that presidential candidates will be nominated from 3rd to 14th November 2026, ahead of the 5th December presidential election.
IEC Chairman Joseph Colley made the announcement at the commission’s stakeholders forum yesterday, where he also confirmed that nomination forms will be issued to aspiring candidates from 21st September.
Colley said the nomination period will run for 12 days, with both the opening and closing dates included. The announcement gives aspiring candidates and political parties a clear timeline to prepare for the nomination process.
The announcement comes as the commission continues preparations for the election, including the ongoing revising court hearings on objections to the voters list.
Colley said he hoped all revising courts would conclude their sittings within the 60 days provided by law. He said this would allow the commission to finalise the voters’ roll.
He also stressed that the courts are independent and that the IEC would not interfere in their deliberations.
The chairman said the commission had started rolling out capacity-building activities for election stakeholders and training on electoral operations and results management is scheduled from 21st to 26th September.
The training will bring together stakeholders including the Inter-Party Committee, civil society organisations, the media, the Gambia Police Force and the Gambia Federation of the Disabled.
Colley said the training will help stakeholders understand the electoral process and support peaceful, inclusive and transparent elections.
He also announced that the process of observer and media accreditation has started. Organisations and media houses wishing to deploy election observers or reporters must apply for accreditation by 20th November. Chairman Colley said the commission’s goal is to deliver a free, fair, transparent and inclusive election in December.