President Adama Barrow has met a delegation of moral guarantors led by International IDEA’s Dr Muhammad Ibn Chambas at State House in Banjul.

The meeting comes ahead of the signing of the 2026 Elections Peace Pact on Monday, 16 November.

Dr Chambas briefed the president on preparations for the ceremony. He also sought Barrow’s commitment to peaceful, transparent and credible elections.

He commended the president for creating an enabling environment for multiparty democracy. He also urged political parties, young people, media practitioners, voters and other stakeholders to uphold peace and respect the law.

“We want peace not just on election day but also in the days after,” he said.

In response, President Barrow expressed confidence in the electoral process. He pledged his government’s commitment to maintaining peace and stability.

“Our democracy is growing. We will maintain peace and tolerance in spite of provocations from some quarters,” he said.

Barrow said his government was prepared to provide security for all presidential candidates, despite the increased number of contestants.

He urged political actors and their supporters to exercise restraint. He stressed that the ultimate decision rested with Gambian voters.

“At the end of it all, it is the Gambian people who will vote to elect their leader. Therefore, there is no need to fight,” he said.

The president also defended his governance record, citing progress in development and democratic freedoms over his ten years in office.

He claimed that no journalist, activist, politician or civil society member had been prosecuted or imprisoned during his tenure.

The 2026 Elections Peace Pact will be signed by presidential candidates at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Bijilo.

Other members of the delegation included Gambia Supreme Islamic Council president Alhagie Essa Darboe and Gambia Christian Council president Most Reverend Bishop Bannie E.F. Manga.

Civil society representative Fatou Jagne Senghore also attended, alongside officials from International IDEA’s Gambia office.