Politics of The Gambia takes place within the framework of a presidential republic,whereby the President of The Gambia is both head of state and head of government,and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliaments.
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is a Gambian politician and former military officer,who served as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017,as well as Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council from 1994 to 1996.
The United Democratic Party is a political party in the Gambia,founded in 1996 by 3 political parties and choose the human rights lawyer,freedom fighter,ANM Ousainou Darboe to be the party leader and Secretary General. As a candidate in the presidential election of 18 October 2001,he came second with 32.6% of the popular vote;he took second place again in the 22 September 2006 presidential election with 26.7% of the vote. The 17 January 2002 parliamentary election was boycotted by the party. In the 25 January 2007 parliamentary election,the party won four out of 48 seats.
Serekunda or Serrekunda is the largest urban centre in The Gambia. It is situated close to the Atlantic coast,on the Gambia River,near the capital,Banjul. Serekunda and Banjul form an urban area known as the Kombos,with about half of the population of the Gambia.
The National Reconciliation Party is a political party in The Gambia. It was founded in 1996 and is led by its founder Hamat Bah.
The People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) is a socialist political party in the Gambia. Since 2005,it has been part of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD). It was part of Coalition 2016 in the 2016 presidential election,whose candidate,Adama Barrow,defeated long-time incumbent Yahya Jammeh. The PDOIS also publishes a party newspaper,Foroyaa,which was noted for its opposition to the Jammeh regime.
Ousainou Darboe is a Gambian politician and leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP). He previously served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's Affairs from June 2018 to March 2019,under President Adama Barrow. He also served as President Barrow's Minister of Foreign Affairs from February 2017 to June 2018.
The National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) is a three-party coalition (previously five parties) of Gambian opposition political parties.
Hamat Ngai Kumba Bah is a Gambian politician who is the current Minister of Tourism and Culture in President Adama Barrow's cabinet. He is also the leader of the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) and has been a presidential candidate in 1996,2001 and 2011. He was the National Assembly Member for Upper Saloum from 1997 to 2005.
Foroyaa is a newspaper located in Serrekunda,the Gambia. It was first launched in July 1987,and is owned by the People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS),an opposition political party that was instrumental in bringing the downfall of ex-president Yahya Jammeh in the 1 December 2016 election.
Presidential elections were held in The Gambia on 1 December 2016. In a surprise result,opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh. The election marked the first change of presidency in The Gambia since a military coup in 1994,and the first transfer of power by popular election since independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.
Adama Barrow is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of the Gambia since 2017.
Gambia Coalition 2016 was the governing coalition of The Gambia in the late 2010s,consisting of seven Gambian political parties,civil society groups and one independent candidate created to field and support a unity ticket for the opposition in the 2016 presidential election. The coalition selected real estate developer and deputy treasurer of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Adama Barrow as their candidate. Barrow officially left the UDP to allow him to run as an independent candidate,although his candidacy continued to be supported by the UDP through its membership in the coalition.
A constitutional crisis occurred in Gambia following presidential elections in December 2016,in which challenger Adama Barrow achieved an upset victory over longtime incumbent Yahya Jammeh. It eventually concluded after a military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led to Jammeh’s departure from the country.
Aja Fatoumata C.M. Jallow-Tambajang is a Gambian politician and activist who served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's Affairs from February 2017 to June 2018,under President Adama Barrow.
Samba Jallow is a Gambian politician who has served in the National Assembly representing Niamina Dankunku since 2012. A member of the National Reconciliation Party,Jallow also served as Minority Leader in the National Assembly from 2012 to 2022.
Following his victory in the presidential election on 1 December 2016,the newly elected President Adama Barrow appointed a new cabinet to succeed the cabinet of Yahya Jammeh,his predecessor. Barrow was formally inaugurated on 19 January 2017 at the embassy of the Gambia in Dakar,Senegal,and was able to return the Gambia on 26 January. He made the bulk of appointments in February 2017,and conducted major reshuffles in June 2018,March 2019 and May 2022.
Omar Amadou Jallow was a Gambian politician who was the Minister of Agriculture in President Adama Barrow's cabinet. Jallow was also the leader of the People's Progressive Party,which held two seats in the National Assembly at the time of his death.
Presidential elections were held in the Gambia on 4 December 2021. The result was a victory for incumbent President Adama Barrow of the National People's Party,who received 53% of the vote,defeating five other candidates.
Aji Yam Secka is a Gambian politician who was deputy leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and a longtime women leader acting in various capacities. From 1998 to 2001,she was Secretary General of the party's women. She was deputy director of UND from 2011 to 2018. Secka became the head of the party in 2016 when the leader of the party,Ousainou Darboe,was held in detention by the government. Secka was one of the opposition leaders who formed a political alliance that endorsed the candidacy of Adama Barrow who eventually defeated the incumbent President Yahya Jammeh.
