Darboe Leads New Gambia First Alliance, Calls on Opposition to Join

Written by: Seringe ST Touray

The United Democratic Party (UDP) and six other political parties and movements have formalised a new opposition alliance behind Ousainu Darboe, adding another major bloc to The Gambia’s increasingly fragmented political landscape ahead of the December 2026 presidential election.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed on Friday at Kairaba Hotel, brings together the UDP, People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Gambia National Unity Party (GANU), Golden Era Party (GEP), Gambia People’s Advancement Party (GPAP), Alliance for Democracy and Development (ADD) and Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) under the Gambia First Alliance. The agreement places Darboe, the UDP’s presidential candidate, at the head of the alliance’s bid for State House.

Addressing alliance partners at the signing ceremony, Darboe portrayed the agreement as more than an electoral pact, describing it as the beginning of a political partnership built on trust, shared values and a common desire for a change of government.

“Our political groupings are different in more than one way but we all share the common denominator of wanting a government that is focused on the priorities of the Gambian people,” he said.

The emergence of the alliance follows the UDP’s withdrawal from the broader Coalition 2026 process after fundamental disagreements over its structure and the mechanism for selecting a presidential candidate. That process continued without the UDP and several other groups that withdrew, ultimately choosing UNITE leader Talib Bensouda as its presidential candidate.

The result is a significantly altered opposition landscape. What began as an ambitious attempt to consolidate a broad range of political forces behind a single challenger to President Adama Barrow has instead produced separate alliances, each seeking to present itself as a credible vehicle for political change.

Darboe acknowledged the growing public scepticism surrounding opposition coalition building, but argued that alliances founded on clear principles and mutual confidence could endure.

“I know there are some who have come to doubt even the possibility of unity among the ranks of the opposition and for good reasons,” he said. “To them I say coalitions and alliances that are pursued with sincerity, honesty and transparency like we have done is the right way to do it.”

Unlike the earlier coalition process, however, there is no ambiguity over who will carry the presidential ticket for the new alliance. Darboe explicitly confirmed that his name and image will appear on the ballot, while insisting that ownership of the campaign will be shared among all participating groups.

“The candidate’s name is Ousainu Darboe and the face on the ballot box will be Ousainu Darboe but each and every one of you, my trusted allies, is the candidate and the ballot box will bear your name and carry your face; the campaign should be and will be collective,” he said.

Despite the proliferation of separate opposition blocs, Darboe used the occasion to extend an invitation to political parties outside the new alliance, arguing that their differences should not prevent further cooperation.

“To other opposition parties not present here today, we extend our hand to each and every one of you. Let us work together to save our country,” he said. “There are no unresolvable issues that separate us.”

Darboe proposed that opposition forces work around a mutually agreed five-year reform agenda, saying a new administration could establish a stronger national foundation before eventually handing responsibility to a successor.

His appeal for wider unity comes at a consequential moment for the opposition. Coalition 2026 is proceeding under Bensouda, while the Gambia First Alliance has now consolidated another group of parties and movements around Darboe. Unless further negotiations bring the competing blocs together, President Barrow could therefore face multiple opposition alliances rather than the single united challenge originally contemplated.

Darboe ended by signalling that the new alliance intends to move quickly from formal agreements to campaigning, calling on partners to take their message directly to voters.

“Let’s saddle up, go meet voters in their homes, in the bantabas, at their farms, markets, and wherever they may be,” he said.