Africa-Press – Gambia. UDP must be commended for opening the space for party members to seek the position of party flag bearer for the 2026 presidential elections. It is indeed welcoming that 11 individuals, albeit all men have applied, yet concerning that for its 29 years of existence, the party has never fielded a female presidential candidate. As a party that proclaims democracy and recognises diversity and inclusion, the party should have taken frantic efforts to ensure its women members are empowered and encouraged to lead the party in elections.
Notwithstanding, it is important to highlight that the process could have been much better both in terms of democracy and also ensuring that the most acceptable candidate emerges. For this to happen, UDP should hold primaries among the members to directly vote for their preferred candidate. Giving the responsibility to select the flagbearer to the central and selection committees is not best practice in a democracy. Furthermore, such a process could become controversial with the potential to send the party into disarray.
The central and selection committees should be confined to only receiving applications and vetting them to ensure the necessary constitutional and party requirements are met. These requirements have been stipulated in the party’s ‘Notice of Applications for Presidential flag bearer 2026’ issued on 17th August 2025. Following the approval of the applicants, the process should now be handed over to the people to decide.
The role of the central and selection committees should be to facilitate the process such as setting the stage for campaigns by the candidates. This should be followed by hosting at least two public debates by the candidates. The final stage is for the election of the flag bearer in a primary in which either all card-carrying members or delegates of the party will vote. This is the process that will ensure ownership, transparency, and democracy. In this way, controversies will be avoided, and a legitimate and acceptable candidate will emerge.
Much as the central and selection committees are elected party leaders, it is not always that elected representatives should decide for the masses. There are issues for which decision making should go back to the people, and one of such issues is the selection of a party flag bearer. Giving that responsibility to party members serves to not only ensure legitimacy but also enhances the ownership and participation of members in the party hence strengthen internal party democracy. Furthermore, if there was a transparent, free, and fair election of the flag bearer, it serves to strengthen party unity and the electability of that candidate at the national level.
But when party members have doubts about the credibility of the selection by the central and selection committees, then the party will find it hard to sell that candidate to the rest of the electorate. Therefore, I urge UDP to embrace democracy and best practices in full, and not half and half. The best practice in democracies is that parties organize debates and primaries for members to elect their presidential candidates. This is what we see in Ghana, Nigeria, UK and US and other places.
Finally, I urge UDP to publicly share the full and detailed profiles of each candidate and organize media encounters for each candidate to speak to the public.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland
Madi Jobarteh
Kembujeh
Source: The Standard Newspaper | Gambia
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