By: Binta Jaiteh
The opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) has condemned what it called draconian and anti-democratic increases in election deposits approved by the NPP controlled National Assembly.
In a statement issued out on Tuesday, UDP said the increases were designed to crush opposition and entrench President Barrow’s grip on power. “Presidential candidate’s deposits will jump from D10,000 to D1 million, National Assembly candidate’s deposits from D5,000 to D150,000, and mayoral deposits to D100,000 changes the UDP likens to tactics once used by ex-leader Yahya Jammeh to sideline challengers.”
“This is a direct assault on Democracy,” UDP argued.
According to the party, the changes mirrored Jammeh’s 2015 playbook, where he raised presidential deposits by 4,900% to D500,000 to bankrupt opponents. “The NPP’s justification, framed as ‘election integrity,’ is a sham. The true aim is to exclude grassroots candidates. Councillor deposits now exceed the average Gambian’s annual income,” the statement noted.
“This is a ploy to protect NPP incumbents. The D1 million presidential fee, ensures only Barrow’s wealthy allies can compete. This move violates ECOWAS principles, Article 2 of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy mandates affordable electoral participation.”
“Barrow is basically imposing financial barriers to elections. Gambians must resist this economic coup. The UDP urges all political parties to resist these roadblocks to democracy. When tyranny becomes law, resistance becomes duty,” the statement added.
The UDP Executive demand urgent action from ECOWAS to rectify the action. “The UN, AU, and the international community are hereby put on alert of the Barrow regime’s continuous stifling of democracy in The Gambia.”
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