Saturday, September 13, 2025
UDP Finally Admits Defeat in 2021 Elections?
By JarraNews
For years, the United Democratic Party (UDP) has fed its supporters a familiar story whenever it loses at the ballot box — that the people’s will was stolen, that votes were tampered with, or that ballot boxes were stuffed. But is the party at last admitting, albeit grudgingly, that it was soundly beaten in the 2021 presidential elections?
Let us remind ourselves of the figures. UDP’s candidate secured just over 200,000 votes, while President Adama Barrow and the National People’s Party (NPP) surged past with 400,000-plus votes. That is not a margin explainable by conspiracy theories or “rigged elections.” It is a resounding rejection by the Gambian electorate.
Yet, instead of confronting reality, the UDP has for years encouraged its base — educated elites, youths, and hardcore tribal loyalists — to cling to excuses. Some of these so-called intellectuals, rather than guiding the younger generation toward constructive political participation, push them into the streets to clash with riot police, risking injury and chaos for a lost cause.
The truth is plain for all to see. The Gambian voting system is one of the most transparent and tamper-proof in Africa. With marbles as ballots, party agents stationed at every polling station, on-the-spot counting, and the presence of local and international observers, the system has long been hailed as rig-proof.
But even within the UDP’s own ranks, the façade of denial appears to be cracking.
Party Secretary General Hon. Alagie S. Darboe himself recently acknowledged that the UDP has a “guaranteed base” of just 200,000 votes — the very same number their candidate pulled in 2021. By his own admission, that base is shrinking due to deaths, emigration, and disillusioned members leaving the party.
Darboe candidly posed the hard question: “If our fixed base — which by itself cannot take us to State House — is shrinking, what assurance do we have of victory? We need to close the gap of 200,000 votes between us and Adama Barrow, and we must do everything possible to secure 150,000 of those.”
This is perhaps the clearest acknowledgment yet that UDP’s path to State House does not lie in crying foul but in convincing undecided voters. It is not tribalism, not street protests, not dangerous propaganda — but persuasion, policy, and vision that win elections.
Ultimately, elections in The Gambia — or anywhere — should never be reduced to a do-or-die affair. Leaders who truly serve the people seek power through the ballot box, respecting the constitutional rights of citizens to choose freely. When defeat comes, it must be accepted with dignity, not denied with excuses.
The message is now unmistakable: the UDP was beaten fair and square in 2021. The question is, will they finally start telling their supporters the truth? The future shall be the judge.
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