Gambia's electoral commission says 12 presidential aspirants have submitted their papers and six have withdrawn, with nominations open until 14 November
The Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission says 12 of the 18 presidential aspirants who collected papers had submitted their nomination documents by Monday 9 November, and six had withdrawn, ahead of the 5 December presidential election. Four of the 12 submissions had not been processed because the D1 million deposit had not been paid, the commission said, and no aspirant has yet been cleared to stand — the commission still has to scrutinise the papers.
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Key points
- 12 of 18 aspirants had submitted nomination papers by 9 November; six had withdrawn, the IEC says.
- Four submissions sat unprocessed because the D1 million deposit was unpaid — unprocessed is not rejected, and a correction window follows the 14 November close.
- The withdrawn names include three parties — the All Inclusive Party, the Gambia Action Party and the National Unity Party.
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- Nobody has been cleared to stand yet: scrutiny comes after nominations close, ahead of the 5 December election.
What happened
The nomination exercise is the first filter of the 5 December presidential election. Aspirants collect forms, appear before the commission on scheduled days, and must meet the legal requirements — including the D1 million deposit — before the IEC clears a final list of candidates.
In the last cycle, in 2021, only six aspirants were finally cleared to contest out of more than two dozen who began the process, so withdrawals and incomplete papers at this stage are expected to narrow the field sharply again.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The IEC's position at 9 November: 12 submissions in, six withdrawals, four submissions unprocessed over the unpaid deposit, and nominations open until 14 November.
What we don't know yet
- Which aspirants the IEC will finally clear to stand — scrutiny follows the close of nominations, with two days for corrections.
- Whether the aspirants whose papers are unprocessed over the deposit will pay and complete their submissions in time.
- The final shape of the coalitions the withdrawing parties have joined.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (4)
Why this label: The figures and dates are the IEC chairperson's own account, reported by Foroyaa and carried by AllAfrica, with Askanwi's day-by-day coverage of the same nomination exercise in agreement on the 12 submissions and six withdrawals.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The withdrawal list is the IEC's account as reported by Foroyaa. Askanwi's coverage records the same parties withdrawing, and the National Unity Party's leader has since been announced as the flag bearer of the Team Gambia coalition.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The unprocessed cases and the deposit reason are the IEC's account as reported by Foroyaa; Askanwi's coverage records the same aspirants failing to provide proof of payment of the deposit. An unprocessed submission is not a rejection — aspirants have a correction window after nominations close.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The open process and the correction window are the IEC's account as reported by Foroyaa and Askanwi. Submitting papers is not the same as being cleared to stand.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
Who survives nomination decides the choices Gambian voters actually get on 5 December. The early pattern — parties withdrawing to back coalitions, and aspirants stalled on the deposit — is already reshaping the ballot before a single candidate is cleared.
Background
The IEC opens presidential nominations; the exercise runs to 14 November, with two further days for corrections.
The commission reports 12 submissions and six withdrawals, with the biggest parties' submissions still to come.
Presidential election day in The Gambia.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published in Checking state — nominations remain open until 14 November, and the commission's final list of cleared candidates is still to come.