By Haddy Touray

The Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice (EFSCRJ), through its Election Watch Initiative, has called on political coalitions contesting The Gambia’s December 2026 presidential election to make their coalition agreements publicly available.

In a statement, EFSCRJ said it was monitoring political parties, candidates and other electoral stakeholders to assess their compliance with the rule of law, democratic norms, transparency and accountability ahead of the elections.

The organization identified four electoral coalitions formed for the 2026 presidential election: The NPP-GDC Coalition, whose agreement was signed on 29 July at State House in Banjul; the UMC-NUP Coalition, signed on 4 August at Paradise Suites Hotel; the Gambia First Coalition, signed on 14 August at Paradise Suites Hotel; and Coalition 2026, signed on 20 August at the same venue.

EFSCRJ expressed concern that, despite the public announcement and signing of the agreements, the substantive contents of the respective memoranda of understanding (MOUs) had not been made publicly available.

It described the lack of transparency as unacceptable, arguing that the agreements could directly influence the political choices available to voters in the presidential election.

According to EFSCRJ, political parties are public-interest institutions established under the Constitution and the Elections Act to participate in democratic governance and seek the mandate of the Gambian people.

The organisation said decisions relating to presidential candidates, political alliances, power-sharing arrangements and policy commitments were therefore matters of legitimate public interest.

EFSCRJ argued that the formation of a political coalition was not merely an internal party matter because such arrangements could fundamentally alter the political landscape and determine the choices presented to voters at the ballot box.

It therefore called on all four coalitions and their constituent political parties to immediately publish their signed MOUs in full, including any annexes, schedules and supplementary agreements.

“Political parties should not ask citizens to vote for political arrangements whose terms they have not been allowed to see,” the rights body said.

EFSCRJ also called on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and the Inter-Party Committee (IPC) to promote greater transparency and accountability among political parties throughout the electoral process.

While acknowledging the lawful autonomy of political parties, the organisation said such autonomy should not be used to justify secrecy over decisions that directly affect voters and the democratic process.

It further urged citizens, voters, the media and civil society organisations to demand greater transparency from political parties and insist that coalition agreements be made publicly accessible.

EFSCRJ said political alliances should serve the public interest rather than the interests of political elites, stressing that the 2026 elections should provide voters with an informed democratic choice.

“Gambians cannot make informed choices about political coalitions, candidates and competing visions for the country if the agreements underpinning those coalitions remain hidden from them,” it said.

The organisation concluded by calling for the immediate publication of all four coalition agreements.