The system-driven approach to national transformation is calling and it must be answered with sincerity, unity, and purpose.
The newest coalition initiative, led by ADD, now becomes the fifth such bloc alongside CSC, PAC, APEX, and Team Gambia. This growing number of coalition bodies reflects both momentum and fragmentation within the opposition landscape.
As the 2026 presidential election approaches, it stands as one of the most decisive moments in The Gambia’s political trajectory. Encouragingly, many political parties and movements appear to be shifting away from narrow partisan interests toward the broader and more urgent call for a United National Front. In the context of our history, this effort is among the most significant since the coming together of our political forebears during the struggle for independence and the establishment of the constitutional republic. For this step forward, our political actors deserve recognition.
However, if this initiative is to go beyond mere regime change and instead achieve genuine system change, then unity must move from rhetoric to reality. The emergence of multiple coalition platforms offers hope, but it also risks diluting collective strength and returning the nation to a standstill in the pursuit of meaningful reform.
The proliferation of coalition brokers is therefore both a concern and a paradoxical opportunity. On one hand, it signals division and competing interests; on the other, it exposes the underlying challenge; political immaturity and the persistence of ego-driven leadership. The same barriers that have historically prevented political parties from uniting now appear replicated among those seeking to bring them together. Coalition builders themselves must rise above the very limitations they seek to overcome.
At this critical juncture, the Gambian people are calling for a unified front. Political leaders now face a clear choice: either consolidate all coalition efforts into a single national platform that can select one consensus flagbearer, or establish a structured alliance of coalitions that produces candidates through a transparent and credible primary process, ultimately yielding one national standard-bearer.
The path they choose will define not only the outcome of the 2026 election but also the future of democratic governance in The Gambia. The people are watching, and expectations are high.
A new Gambia is not just desirable but it is necessary.
By Ebrima Cham
PASTEF The Gambia National Coordinator
