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The presidential election: Saturday 5 December 2026

Polls open at 8 in the morning and close at 5 in the afternoon. At 5, a security officer makes sure that nobody new joins the queue (Elections Act 2025, s. 64).

Only the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) declares the results. CRPD is a non partisan, accredited observer and does not announce results (IEC Code of Conduct for Election Observers, clause 14). This page has no results.

The dates

From the IEC's Presidential Election Operational Plan (iec.gm, 7 October 2026), with the law it cites.

  1. 18 August 2026
    Election observers invited and accredited (Elections Act 2025, s. 133, s. 150)
  2. 2 September 2026
    Notice of the election published (Elections Act 2025, s. 39)
  3. 21 September 2026
    Nomination forms issued (Elections Act 2025, s. 41(5))
  4. 3 November 2026 to 14 November 2026
    Nominations, and corrections to nomination papers (Elections Act 2025, s. 41, 46, 48)
  5. 15 November 2026
    Campaign itineraries reconciled (Elections Act 2025, s. 85(1))
  6. 16 November 2026 to 3 December 2026
    The campaign (Elections Act 2025, s. 85)
  7. 20 November 2026
    Voters' roll given to the parties and candidates (Elections Act 2025, s. 57)
  8. 24 November 2026
    Last day to withdraw (Elections Act 2025, s. 50)
  9. 2 December 2026
    Briefing for election observers (Elections Act 2025, s. 133)
  10. 3 December 2026
    Polling staff, security and materials deployed (Elections Act 2025, s. 6, 145, 57)
  11. 4 December 2026
    Cooling off day (Elections Act 2025, s. 88)
  12. 5 December 2026
    Election day (Constitution s. 46)
  13. After election day
    Results and petitions (Constitution s. 43, s. 49)

How to vote, in ten steps

  1. 1. Register with the IEC and keep your voter's card safe. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 13, 24(3) and 37)
  2. 2. On polling day, go to the polling station where you registered. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 54(1), 58(3), 65(1) and 70)
  3. 3. Queue calmly: elders, the sick, people with disabilities and pregnant or nursing mothers go first. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 64 and 67)
  4. 4. Show your voter's card, and the Presiding Officer finds your name in the register. (Elections Act 2025, s. 65(1) to (4))
  5. 5. The officer marks the register, signs the back of your card and puts ink on your finger. (Elections Act 2025, s. 65(5))
  6. 6. You receive one token: a small glass marble. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 62 and 65(2); Hughes and Perfect 2006, p. 143)
  7. 7. Go behind the screen alone: your vote is secret. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 65(9) and 66)
  8. 8. Drop your marble into the drum of the candidate you choose. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 63 and 65(6) and (7))
  9. 9. When you have voted, leave the polling station and go home in peace. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 61, 65(8) and 70(j))
  10. 10. Votes are counted in the open, and only the IEC declares the results. (Elections Act 2025, ss. 73, 75(1) and 81(2))

On polling day, follow the IEC's posters and the Presiding Officer. With pictures: the picture voter guide. Practise it: practise voting in two minutes.

Check the register

Who can register to vote?

You can be put on the register in a constituency if you are a citizen of The Gambia, you are 18 or will be 18 on the day of the next election, and you live in that constituency or were born there. The Constitution gives every citizen aged 18 or older and of sound mind the right to vote for the President and the National Assembly. (Elections Act 2025, s. 13(1), Constitution s. 39)

Where do I register?

At a registration center the Commission designates. Centers must be placed so that people can reach them easily. You register in the constituency where you live or where you were born. (Elections Act 2025, s. 18, s. 13(1))

How can I check that my name is on the list?

The Commission publishes the list of voters for each constituency for at least ten days in its Administrative Area, posted where the public can see it. Copies of the registers for every constituency in the Area are also kept for public inspection at each Electoral Officer's office during official hours. (Elections Act 2025, s. 22(3), s. 22(4), s. 36(2), s. 148)

What do I need to bring to vote?

Your voter's card. You present yourself with it to the Presiding Officer at your polling station. The officer checks who you are, checks that your name is in the register for that station, and checks that the card is genuine before giving you a ballot token. (Elections Act 2025, s. 65(1), s. 65(2), s. 65(3))

Can I vote anywhere, or only where I registered?

Only at the polling station where you are registered. The exceptions in the Act are election officers and security officers on presidential election duty, who may vote where they are posted, and voters entered on a transferred voters list, who vote at the station they are given. (Elections Act 2025, s. 58(3), s. 65(1), s. 60, s. 17(3))

What is the voter's card, and how long is it valid?

When you are registered the Commission gives you a voter's card. It shows the constituency where you are registered. Only you may use it. It is valid for ten years, or for the period the Commission declares. (Elections Act 2025, s. 20, s. 24)

Your voter's card shows your constituency. To find your polling place, use Where is my polling station? on the full page, or ask the voter helpline. These answers are a guide from the Elections Act 2025, not legal advice: the IEC is the authority.

CRPD statements

The statements CRPD has published for this election are on the full page.

Contact CRPD

Center for Research and Policy Development (CRPD), The Gambia. Non partisan. Nothing on this page is advice on how to vote. Your privacy on this site.