HOW TO CHOOSE A PRESIDENT WITH YOUR HEAD, NOT JUST YOUR HEART: 5 DECEMBER IS NOT A PARTY; IT IS YOUR FUTURE.

By Capt. (Rtd.) Ebou Jallow

Hopefully all Gambian voters will drop one marble into one drum. There is no second round. Whoever gets the most marbles leads this country for five years. One marble decides your electricity bill, the price of your rice, and whether your son or daughter sees a future here or on the backway. So before you vote, ask yourself: am I voting for my tribe, my village, my friend’s party, or for the person most likely to give The Gambia PEACE, STABILITY and JOBS?

This post does not tell you who to vote for. It shows you how to judge ALL of them by the same five tests. Any candidate who cannot pass them does not deserve your marble, whoever they are.

1. PEACE: WILL THEY KEEP THE GAMBIA CALM?

• Have they promised, publicly and before the vote, to accept the IEC result and take any complaint to court, not to the streets?

• Do they and their supporters stay away from tribal and regional insults?

• Do they punish members who threaten violence or spread hate?

We remember 2016. A leader who plays the tribal card is gambling with your safety.

2. STABILITY: WILL THEY BUILD INSTITUTIONS OR BUILD THEMSELVES?

• TERM LIMITS. The 2020 draft constitution failed. The 2025 amendment failed. Ask every candidate: “Will you sign a two-term limit, and will it apply to YOU?”

• Do they respect the courts, the National Assembly, the IEC and the press, even when those rule against them?

• JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS. The TRRC recommended prosecutions. An ECOWAS court was agreed in December 2024, yet it still has no ratified treaty, no funding and no National Assembly vote. Ask each candidate for a real plan and, a date and look at who their allies are.

3. THE ECONOMY: IS THERE A REAL PLAN OR JUST A SONG?

The facts we live with:

• The average Gambian earns about US$750 a year.

• More than half of Gambians (about 53%) live below the poverty line.

• 57% of our young people aged 15 to 34 are outside the workforce.

• Thousands of our youth take the backway every year.

A real plan has NUMBERS (how many jobs, how many megawatts), a PRICE (how it will be paid for) and a DATE (by when). “We will create jobs” is a slogan. “We will create X jobs in agriculture and fisheries by 2028, funded by Y” is a plan. Demand the plan.

4. TRACK RECORD: WHAT HAVE THEY ALREADY DONE?

Promises are free. Results are evidence.

• For the sitting government: compare what was promised in 2016 and 2021 with what you see today in your own life.

• For every challenger: look at what they have already run, whether a council, a ministry, a seat in the Assembly or their own party. Did it work? Was the money accounted for?

If someone could not manage what they had, why give them the whole country?

5. INTEGRITY AND TEAM: WHO COMES WITH THEM?

• Will they publish their assets, as the Constitution requires?

• Who will be their Vice President and ministers? A president governs with a team. Ask to see it.

• Where does all that campaign money come from?

• Do they face hard questions in debates, or only speak at rallies?

TEN QUESTIONS TO ASK EVERY CANDIDATE

1. Will you accept the IEC result if you lose?

2. Will you sign a two-term limit that applies to you?

3. What will you do about NAWEC in your first 100 days?

4. How many jobs for young people, in which sectors, by when?

5. How will you bring down the price of rice, fuel and fertilizer, and who pays?

6. What is your plan and date for justice and reparations for victims of the Jammeh years?

7. Who are you going to recruit for your cabinet posts ?

8. Will you publish your assets?

9. Name one promise you broke before, and why.

10. How will you reduce our debt without cutting schools and hospitals?

DATES TO REMEMBER

• 3 to 14 November: candidates submit nominations to the IEC. The official list of who is on the ballot comes after that.

• 16 November to 3 December: campaign period. Go to the rallies of EVERY party, not just your own. Listen and compare.

• 5 December: VOTE. Bring your voter card.

BEFORE YOU SHARE ANYTHING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Check it first. Use the Malagen election hub, and other newspapers (The Point, The Standard, Foroyaa etc). A WhatsApp voice note is not evidence.

Gambia has already shown Africa that power can change hands peacefully through the ballot. Let us show it again, by choosing with our eyes open. Don’t vote with your tribe. Don’t vote for money. Vote with EVIDENCE.

SHARE this with your family group, your kafos and your vous.

Every informed voter makes The Gambia stronger.

#GambiaDecides2026#TheGambia#Election2026#VoteWithEvidence#PeaceStabilityJobs

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