According to The Standard, the Unite Movement for Change (UMC) and six other prospective political parties had their registration applications “turned down” by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which cited noncompliance with stringent Elections Act standards.
In recent weeks, groups affiliated with the organizations have voiced their concerns about the delays in the registration of new political parties, such as UMC, the National Democratic Party (NDP), and several more seeking official recognition.
However, in response to the concerns, IEC spokesperson Pa Makan Khan revealed in a Standard exclusive on Tuesday that the commission ordered these seven groups to amend and resubmit their documents after internal evaluations found serious flaws, including the failure to submit the list of the 10,000 voters that were needed.
“There is no delay on the part of IEC to register any aspiring political party. We have received seven applications and all of them have been turned down. I deliberately used ‘turn down’ because we don’t reject party registration. It is the constitutional right of every Gambian to register a political party so the IEC cannot deny any Gambian his or her political rights,” Mr Khan said.
He went on to say that there is no set time limit for party registration. “The law sets aside tangible requirements that the person or group has to fulfil before being registered.”
According to him, if an individual or organisation wants to register a political party, they should write to the IEC chairman, who will reply with the specifics of the required paperwork or forms.
“Once you complete filling these forms, you return them to the IEC for verifications and review to make sure that the application fully complies with the law and once that is done, then the party is registered. So the seven applications which have been sent back didn’t meet the requirements.”
He stated that while some parties filed applications in 2018 but weren’t registered until 2025, the IEC should be applauded for the pace at which it has addressed some of the applications.
“We do this to ensure that the person or group adheres to the rules and regulations guiding the registration of political parties,” he said.
Some of the parties who were rejected, he continued, submitted their applications in November of last year, and the IEC sent them a letter in January informing them of their registration status.
“Now, it is left to them to address the issues we raised and resubmit.”
Talib’s departure from the UDP
Responding to allegations that the IEC has requested Talib Bensouda to officially resign from the UDP before he could register the UMC, Mr Khan explained: “This has not been part of the issues. I know there was a letter from Kemo Bojang to the IEC requesting for the registration of UMC as a political party in November 2025.”
He stated that after verifications, the IEC replied to the request on January 27th, providing justifications for rejecting the UMC registration.
“So the issue of resignation doesn’t arise because it is not part of the regulations,” he said.
Outside factors
Additionally, the IEC spokeswoman refuted claims that the commission has been pressured from outside sources to postpone the registration of prospective parties such as the UMC.
“That is not even possible. These are legal issues and once the aspiring parties address them accordingly, the IEC will have no choice but to register them because if we don’t they have the right to take us to court,” he said.
