President Adama Barrow of The Gambia has formally filed his nomination papers to seek a third five-year term, setting up a December election in which term limits themselves are on the ballot. His main rival, Ousainou Darboe, has promised to serve only one term if he wins.

Barrow, 61, submitted his papers at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Tuesday, 10 November, as the candidate of the National People's Party (NPP), ahead of the presidential election on 5 December 2026. Speaking to journalists afterwards, he called for peace, stability and national unity, and urged Gambians to remain law-abiding throughout the electoral period.

Barrow defends his position on term limits

The question of term limits dominated his remarks. Barrow said he has always made his position clear that he believes in term limits, while noting that some democratic countries operate without them. He cited Germany and Britain as examples, arguing that effective leadership does not necessarily depend on term limits.

"The Gambian people are the people who elect a president. They decide a president's fate. So it is up to the Gambian people to decide whether I should be president or not," he told reporters.

Barrow added that if he secures an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the threshold required to pass a new constitution, he would ensure the country gets a new constitutional order that includes presidential term limits.

The 1997 Constitution currently in force imposes no term limits, so Barrow is legally eligible to stand again. Earlier draft constitutions that would have introduced limits failed to secure the required three-quarters majority in the National Assembly, including a 2020 version and a later draft rejected in 2025.

A presidency born of the 2016 transition

Barrow first came to power in 2016 after defeating long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh as a coalition candidate. He then formed the NPP and won re-election in 2021. His appearance at the IEC drew large numbers of supporters, party officials and media attention as the nomination window, which runs until 14 November, gathers momentum.

Outlining his priorities for the next five years, Barrow pledged continuity in his development agenda: expanding roads and electricity networks, improving access to health and education, modernising agriculture, improving market access, strengthening food security, and investing in young people to expand opportunities for self-employment. He also committed to strengthening state institutions through sound policies, stronger laws and respect for the rule of law.

Darboe promises a single reforming term

Opposition leader Ousainou Darboe, of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has already filed his own nomination papers. He has pledged that, if elected, he would serve a single term focused on delivering constitutional reform, security sector reform, economic transformation and civil service reform.

"My single term would carry the greatest legacy for this country. It would be a term during which Gambians would be given the Constitution they deserve," Darboe said after submitting his papers at the IEC headquarters on the Bertil Harding Highway.

Darboe, a constitutional lawyer and former vice-president under Barrow, also defended his earlier remarks about the three-year coalition arrangement that brought Barrow to power in 2016, saying his position had been based on his reading of the Constitution. With nominations nearly complete, attention is expected to shift to the campaign trail, where Barrow will seek a renewed mandate on his government's record while Darboe argues that one reforming term is enough to reset the country's institutions.