{"id":93172,"date":"2026-01-24T17:35:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T17:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election"},"modified":"2026-01-24T18:19:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T18:19:33","slug":"activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election","title":{"rendered":"Activist Urges IEC for Transparency before 2026 Election"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. <\/strong><\/span><b>A young Gambian activist, Abdoulie Darboe, has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to uphold neutrality and transparency ahead of the country\u2019s 2026 presidential election, warning that failure to do so could undermine public trust and national stability.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>In a statement obtained by Panapress, Darboe said recent elections were marred by controversy, which he noted has eroded confidence in the electoral body.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe conduct of elections is a fundamental democratic right of all voters,\u201d he said, stressing that electoral outcomes determine the country\u2019s leadership for the next five years and involve the participation of thousands of citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Darboe recalled that the previous presidential election was highly contested, with opposition parties disputing the results and sections of the public alleging manipulation. He added that discrepancies between presidential and parliamentary election outcomes had further raised concerns about the credibility of the process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFree and fair elections are essential for democracy and stability. When citizens lose confidence in the electoral commission, it can lead to protests, instability, and, in extreme cases, conflict,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n<p>The activist likened the role of the IEC to that of a referee, emphasizing the need for strict impartiality. He cautioned that failure to address concerns over electoral integrity could result in widespread dissatisfaction and unrest.<\/p>\n<p>Darboe also linked electoral credibility to broader national challenges, including economic decline, youth unemployment, and irregular migration, which he said continue to claim lives in the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe country deserves genuine democracy. Citizens should not vote only to have their voices and choices manipulated,\u201d he said, calling on the IEC to prioritize the will of the people.<\/p>\n<p>He further urged the commission to provide clear guidance to voters and ensure the timely and transparent release of results, noting that delays often fuel suspicion and mistrust.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe IEC must take concrete steps to address past concerns and promote unity as the country prepares for the 2026 elections,\u201d Darboe added.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Gambia<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Gambia. A young Gambian activist, Abdoulie Darboe, has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to uphold neutrality and transparency ahead of the country\u2019s 2026 presidential election, warning that failure to do so could undermine public trust and national stability. In a statement obtained by Panapress, Darboe said recent elections were marred by controversy, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":93171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-93172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Activist Urges IEC for Transparency before 2026 Election - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A young Gambian activist, Abdoulie Darboe, has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to uphold neutral ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Activist Urges IEC for Transparency before 2026 Election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A young Gambian activist, Abdoulie Darboe, has cautioned the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to uphold neutral ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gambia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-24T17:35:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-24T18:19:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/sm_1769266021.006567.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Activist Urges IEC for Transparency before 2026 Election\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-24T17:35:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-24T18:19:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election\"},\"wordCount\":335,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/gambia\/sites\/19\/2026\/01\/sm_1769266021.006567.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gambia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/activist-urges-iec-for-transparency-before-2026-election\",\"name\":\"Activist Urges IEC for Transparency before 2026 Election - 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