By Mustapha K. Darboe
Claim: “President Barrow won with the largest majority ever recorded in the history of this country. In terms of popular votes, the largest majority.”
Source: The leader of the Gambia Moral Congress, Mai Ahmad Fatty
Verdict: FALSE
Gambians head to the polls in 2026 to elect a new president in what will be the third bid of President Adama Barrow who has since made clear of his intentions to run again.
In December 2024, the leader of the Gambia Moral Congress— Mai Ahmad Fatty— announced an alliance with the ruling NPP. Critics say the opposition leader has gone against his principles to forge the alliance, though Fatty insisted that supporting the agenda of the President is in the best interest of the country.
Claim
A few days after the GMC—NPP coalition was formed, Fatty told a popular weekly online current affairs show on Kerr Fatou— The Brunch— that 2021 was the largest majority a president won in the history of the Gambia.
“People who are saying Mai Fatty is too good to go into an alliance with the NPP have seriously insulted the integrity… citizenship rights of hundreds of thousands of people who are members of the NPP. Not only that. They have ‘spattered’ on the sovereign decision of the people of this country,” said Fatty.
“Because 2021, we all went into presidential elections. President Barrow won with the largest majority ever recorded in the history of this country. In terms of popular votes, the largest majority. Are you telling me that the largest majority, hundreds of thousands of Gambians, are also not good enough for me?”
WATCH VIDEO: From 41— 46 minutes.
Fact-check
Since the founding of the Independent Electoral Commission in 1997, Gambia has held six presidential elections. The largest majority ever recorded was registered by ex-president Yahya Jammeh in 2011, winning 470, 550 votes— 72% of total votes cast— while opposition UDP recorded 114, 177 or 17% of the votes cast.
In 2021, Barrow won 457 519 or 53% of the votes cast while the UDP won 238, 253 or 23% of the votes cast. At least 89% of the 962, 157 registered voters turned out to vote in the 2021 elections while only 82% of 796, 929 registered voters voted in the 2011 presidential elections.
In essence, more people registered to vote in 2021 also registering a much higher voter turnout in numbers, yet Jammeh got more votes than Barrow.
Verdict: The claim by Mai Ahmad Fatty that “President Barrow won [the 2021 election] with the largest majority ever recorded in the history of this country” is FALSE.
