After failing to obtain the quorum needed to review and adopt a new party constitution, the People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) postponed its party congress until January 24, 2026, according to party authorities.
Party members and invited stakeholders attended the congress, which was held on December 27 and 28 in a hotel in the Senegambia region as part of the party’s 2025 calendar. The number of delegates in attendance was below the legal level required to implement constitutional revisions, despite what organizers called a robust turnout.
The party’s secretary general, Halifa Sallah, informed delegates, “There is a crowd here; we can proceed with whatever we want. “But we do not want to do whatever we want. We want to do what we should do.”
According to Mr. Sallah, the decision to adjourn was made consciously to respect the party’s own regulations as well as the more general legality principle, rather than out of political expediency.
“Once we start to be above the law, then all of us ultimately will be under dictatorship,” he stated. “We prefer to be under the law so we can be equal before the law and become a nation.”
Mr. Sallah described the incident as a test of democratic discipline and stated that nation-building starts with rigorous obedience to the law, even if it creates delays. “That is why it is emphasized if one person is missing and by proceeding will break the law, we will wait for that one person to join us for us to move forward,” he said.
He argued that respect for internal party rules was essential to PDOIS’s political character and asked party members to leave the congress with encouragement rather than disappointment.
The formality of the proceedings was highlighted by the presence of observers from the electoral authorities, such as Ansumana Camara, the Kanifing regional electoral officer, and Cherno M. Jallow, deputy chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission.
Party leaders anticipate that when the adjourned congress meets again early in the following year, the necessary quorum will be present to enable discussion and approval of the amended constitution.
