Madi Jobarteh, a leading human rights activist and executive director of the Edward Francis Small Center for Rights and Justice, has raised serious concerns about what he calls “electoral manipulation in broad daylight” by The Gambia’s Ministry of Interior. In a powerful statement, Jobarteh accused the Ministry and Immigration Department of issuing national ID cards to manipulate voter registration for the 2026 elections, threatening the nation’s democratic integrity.
Jobarteh slammed a recent Ministry press release as a cover-up for fraudulent practices, noting its failure to cite any legal basis for issuing IDs abroad. He dismissed the Ministry’s reference to the Vienna Convention of 1961 as misleading, explaining that the Convention governs diplomatic relations, not the issuance of domestic documents like ID cards. “No provision in the Vienna Convention supports their claims,” Jobarteh stated, labeling the government’s actions dishonest and politically motivated.
He emphasized that national ID cards are irrelevant abroad, where passports or alien cards are required for transactions. “A Senegalese in The Gambia uses their passport, not their home ID. The same applies to Gambians abroad,” Jobarteh said. He argued that the government should focus on issuing passports and voter cards to ensure diaspora Gambians can participate fairly in elections, rather than selectively distributing IDs in certain countries.
Jobarteh suspects the ID scheme is a tactic to register specific groups as voters to sway the 2026 elections. He drew parallels to past electoral malpractices under Yahya Jammeh, who issued voter cards to foreigners transported from Mauritania and Senegal to vote in the 2001 and 2006 elections. Similar attempts in 2016 were stopped by the Adama Barrow-led Coalition. “Jammeh did this underground, but Barrow is doing it openly, using state institutions,” Jobarteh charged, pointing to the Ministry’s press release as evidence of complicity.
The activist called on political parties, civil society, and citizens to reject these actions, which he believes are designed to undermine the credibility of The Gambia’s elections. “This malpractice dilutes the people’s verdict and erodes democracy,” he warned. Jobarteh urged the government to prioritize transparent voter registration and ensure all Gambians, including those abroad, can access voter cards.
The Edward Francis Small Center for Rights and Justice is rallying stakeholders to resist this threat to democracy. “We must stand united to protect the integrity of our elections,” Jobarteh declared, emphasizing the need for vigilance as 2026 approaches. His warning serves as a clarion call for Gambians to demand accountability and safeguard their homeland’s democratic future.
