President Barrow seeks third term in Gambia election on 5 December

Who is running

Adama Barrow has been president since 2017. He defeated Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled since 1994, in the election of 2016, and won a second term in December 2021. He leads the National People's Party (NPP), which he set up after leaving the United Democratic Party. The NPP campaigns on infrastructure, peace and economic growth.

Ousainou Darboe leads the United Democratic Party (UDP), the largest opposition party, founded under Jammeh's rule. It campaigns on constitutional reform, democratic government and accountability. The UDP named Darboe its candidate in September 2025.

Talib Ahmed Bensouda is the mayor of the Kanifing municipality. He left the UDP and founded UNITE, a party registered on 1 July 2026. It presents itself as a youth-focused, technocratic alternative and promises decentralised government, digital reform of the economy and jobs. An opposition grouping, Coalition 2026, chose him as its candidate on 8 August 2026.

How the vote works

The president is elected in one round. The candidate with the most votes wins, even with less than half of them. There is no runoff.

Gambians vote with marbles, not paper ballots. Each voter drops one marble into a metal drum that carries the chosen candidate's party colour, photograph and symbol. Polling stations open at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m. local time.

Only the president is elected on 5 December. The National Assembly, the country's parliament, is elected on 10 April 2027.

How the race got here

The constitution of 1997 allows a president a third term. The National Assembly rejected drafts of a new constitution with a two-term limit in 2020 and on 7 July 2025. In 2025, 35 members voted for the draft and 21 against, short of the three quarters required.

Barrow announced early in 2025 that he would run again. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which runs elections, set the voting day on 9 October 2025.

On 14 August 2026 the UDP and allied parties and movements signed a memorandum of understanding for a separate alliance, the Gambia First Coalition.

What happens next

1. Nov 3Nominations open
2. Nov 14Nominations close
3. Nov 16The campaign begins
4. Dec 3The campaign ends
5. Dec 5Voting day

The IEC accepts nominations from 3 to 14 November 2026. A candidate needs the signatures of at least 5,000 registered voters and a deposit of 1 million dalasis, the Gambian currency. Only then is the list of candidates final.

The campaign runs from 16 November to 3 December 2026. 4 December is a cooling-off day without campaigning.

The marbles are counted at each polling station after it closes on 5 December.Barrow's current five-year term began on 19 January 2022, so the next term starts in January 2027.