By Binta Jaiteh
The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Tuesday announced plans to pursue the formation of a coalition ahead of the December 2026 presidential election after withdrawing from the ongoing Coalition 2026 negotiations.
Addressing a press conference in Manjai, UDP Secretary General and Party Leader Ousainou Darboe said the party remained committed to building a coalition founded on constitutional governance, democratic accountability, fairness, mutual respect and national renewal.
He says Gambians deserve a government capable of addressing the country’s economic and governance challenges, including the rising cost of living, unemployment, corruption and declining public confidence in public institutions.
Darboe said the UDP continued to support efforts aimed at uniting the opposition but stressed that any coalition must be guided by democratic principles rather than political expediency.
“Our door remains open to every individual, political party, movement and organisation that shares these principles. Unity remains our objective, but it must rest upon principles, not expediency,” he said.
He recalled that the UDP joined the Coalition 2026 talks, initiated by the Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD), alongside seven other registered political parties, civil society organizations and political movements.
According to Darboe, the party participated in the negotiations in good faith, recognising the need for democratic change in The Gambia.
He said UDP representatives engaged constructively throughout the discussions and made compromises but could not accept arrangements that, in the party’s view, undermined constitutional and democratic principles.
Darboe announced that, following consultations within the party’s leadership, the UDP had decided to withdraw from the current Coalition 2026 process.
He argued that the coalition model adopted during the 2016 presidential election exposed structural weaknesses, particularly after the elected candidate became politically independent of the coalition that had sponsored the candidature.
According to him, such an arrangement weakened the coalition’s ability to ensure political accountability and collective implementation of its mandate.
Darboe also criticized the decision to adopt a one-entity, one-vote mechanism for selecting the coalition’s presidential candidate, saying it placed registered political parties, civil society organizations and political movements with varying levels of public support on an equal footing.
He said the UDP could not support a coalition framework that it believes is inconsistent with democratic representation and the constitution.
Despite its withdrawal from the Coalition 2026 talks, Darboe said the UDP remained open to working with individuals, political parties and organizations that share its vision for democratic governance and national development.