Dear Editor,
I have been cautiously commenting on this coalition-building process because, much as I want to see it happen as a matter of urgency to stop Barrow’s self-perpetuation in power, I wasn’t very optimistic about a meaningful outcome. I view the ongoing process as very complex, though some may think it’s a simple process that should just produce one straight candidate.
I have always considered that the gaps between the parties are so wide that consensus-building, especially regarding a flagbearer, would hit a dead end at some point in the talks. That has always been the elephant in the room. Nothing in the coalition talks matters more than the issue of flagbearership. To understand why flagbearership is the crux of the ongoing talks, let’s take a moment and look at some factors.
First, it’s clear that the UDP and UNITE still have not reconciled their differences following a bitter divorce. Almost 10 months after the internal UDP political turmoil that led to the sensational departure of Mayor Talib Bensouda and key party figures, resulting in the formation of UMC, the two sides remain locked in a bitter rivalry. For context, UMC emerged because its adherents firmly believed that Mayor Bensouda was the most viable candidate to lead the UDP into the 2026 presidential elections. They wanted Darboe to step aside in favor of the younger Talib, arguing that he was best suited and more appealing to the electorate than the veteran opposition leader. But Talib didn’t have his way, and Darboe emerged as the party’s candidate following the party’s internal democratic processes.
Now, here is why this context matters in the ongoing coalition talks. UMC is now a registered political party actively participating in the coalition talks. It’s no longer a movement participant. The awkward relationship and rivalry between the UDP and UNITE was always going to undermine efforts in the coalition talks at some point. And here is why: Regardless of whether the coalition adopts a party-led or candidate-led approach, I do not genuinely see how these two parties would support each other’s candidate. If UDP’s Darboe were to emerge as the Coalition’s candidate-led contender, I do not see a situation in which Bensouda and UNITE would rally behind him. The same is true for UDP and Darboe if Bensouda and UNITE were to lead. There may be several reasons why Talib and his aides branched out of the UDP. However, there is no denying the fact that disagreement over who would lead the UDP was the principal reason. Because of that, it’s almost unfathomable that UNITE would back Darboe or any UDP candidate in a coalition against Barrow. The differences just seem irreconcilable.
Another important factor is that the UDP, despite participating in the ongoing coalition talks, was always going to insist that its candidate would lead any coalition against Barrow, whether party-led or candidate-led. They have been going along with the talks but have never truly shied away from this position. They argue they have the majority and have proven themselves electorally by virtue of their electoral percentage in every general election since their founding. They argue that they are the opposition party with the most elected representation in both the legislature and local governance. They argue that they are the party with the most tested structures across every nook and cranny of the country. And importantly, they argue that they have a solid base of at least 200,000 loyal supporters, per the 2021 elections. To sum it up, they argue that they came top among opposition parties in the most recent CepRass polling. For UDP, it’s either them or no one. And that’s why today’s withdrawal from the coalition talks didn’t come as a surprise. It was always coming.
What I also think has not helped and has been a defeating factor in the ongoing coalition talks is rhetoric, ego, and chest-beating among opposition party leaders and their supporters. Across media interviews, panels, rallies, and social media debates, opposition parties that were supposed to unite are busy degrading and abusing each other. There has been no room for decorum and humility among the ranks of the opposition as they lock in to delegitimise one another. Now, how is anything meaningful expected in a climate of hostility and disrespect? Unless parties recognise each other’s strength and see the country beyond personal ambitions, President Adama Barrow is likely to be re-elected for a painful and unfortunate third term, a development that would erode our democratic processes.
Concerned Gambian