Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Mr. Faal said opposition leaders remain engaged in negotiations aimed at presenting a single candidate for the 2026 presidential election. While acknowledging that reaching consensus will not be easy, he maintained that unity offers the opposition its strongest chance of defeating the incumbent.
According to Mr. Faal, coalition talks were initially divided between two competing ideas. Some parties pushed for a party-led coalition, while others argued that the alliance should be built around an agreed candidate rather than any one political party.
“Right now, we have passed the issue of the model in the conversation, even though some people are seeking to take us back to the question of the coalition model, we have agreed that we are accepting candidate-led; over two-thirds of the people agree.”
He explained that support for the candidate-led model was driven by concerns that a party-led arrangement could result in one political party dominating government should the opposition secure victory.
“If we accept a party-led coalition, after the election, if we win, the party will take everything, and that is not how it is supposed to be, that is why it was decided that it is going to be candidate-led, and that discussion is over.”
Mr. Faal said everyone who took part in the negotiations had agreed to move forward with the candidate-led approach.
“Everybody who was present in the discussions decided that we will go with the candidate-led model, so the party-led model is behind us, now we have to look forward.”
He also stressed that membership of Coalition 2026 remains voluntary, insisting that no political party is under pressure to join or remain in the alliance.
Mr. Faal further called on Gambians to support efforts to unite the opposition, saying the coalition’s leadership should emerge through consensus rather than being dictated by an individual or a political party.
