Sep 11, 2026
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Dr Touray admits she shares responsibility for Barrow government’s ‘failures’

Sep 11, 2026, 11:42 AM 2 min read
Dr Touray admits she shares responsibility for Barrow government’s ‘failures’

Dr Touray

Former Vice President and 2026 presidential aspirant Dr Isatou Touray has admitted that she cannot completely distance herself from the failures of the Barrow administration, saying she was part of the government and therefore accepts responsibility for what went wrong.

Speaking on Coffee Time with Peter Gomez, Dr Touray said her decision to challenge President Adama Barrow in the December 2026 presidential election was driven by her belief that the promises made during the 2016 political transition had not been fulfilled.

“Barrow has failed, to a great extent,” she said, while stressing that she would not place all the blame on the president.

“But I will not exonerate myself from that failure. I was part of it,” Dr Touray said.

She explained that members of the administration had agreed on a clear plan of action following the 2016 change, with targets that were supposed to be measurable, achievable and reported within specific periods.

According to her, those plans included transitional justice, constitutional review, institutional strengthening and addressing corruption.

Dr Touray said she and others could only make recommendations, engage and offer advice, while the final authority rested with the president.

“We can only recommend, we can only engage, and we can give our advice, but that’s where it ends,” she said.

She said the failure to deliver a new constitution remained one of the biggest shortcomings of the administration, arguing that constitutional reform was central to the political change that brought Barrow to power.

Dr Touray also defended her record while serving in government, saying she entered public office with the determination to deliver. She served as Minister of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment, later became Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and was eventually appointed Vice President.

She said she was proud of the progress achieved during the transition but acknowledged that the government failed to complete the democratic reforms that had been promised.

“I am very proud to be associated with that,” she said, referring to the 2016 change from an authoritarian regime to a democracy.

Dr Touray said her challenge to Barrow was not based on a personal dispute.

“The reason I want to challenge Barrow has nothing to do with between me and Barrow; it’s about the Gambians,” she said.

She maintains that her political ambition is driven by what she believes is necessary for the country’s future.

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