The United Party was a political party in the Gambia. The party was founded during the colonial period and worked political in the then colony of Bathurst (the present capital of the Gambia, Banjul). [1] The party drew support mainly from Roman Catholics. [2] In Banjul it had support mainly amongst the Wolofs, in the rural areas mainly amongst Fulas. [1] The party was led by P. S. Njie. [3]
In 1963, the People's Progressive Party and DCA invited UP to join the government. After two years, the party left the government. Its position as an opposition party had declined, though. In 1970, the party suffered a heavy blow as its leader joined the PPP. [1]
During the 1970s and 1980s the party strongly opposed a union with Senegal. [4]
Year | % of votes | Seats |
---|---|---|
1966 | 8 | 33.37% [5] |
1971 | 4 | 15.69% |
1977 | 2 | [6] |
1982 | 0 | 2.88% |
1987 | 0 | [6] |
1992 | 0 | 1.43% |
The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia and Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, Gambia is the smallest country in Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean. It is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia river, which flows through the centre of the country and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The national namesake River Gambia demarcates the elongated shape of the country, which has an area of 11,300 square kilometres (4,400 sq mi) and a population of 2,468,569 people in 2024. The capital city is Banjul, which has the most extensive metropolitan area in the country; the second- and third-largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.
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.
Banjul, officially the City of Banjul, is the capital and fourth largest city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely populated metropolitan area. Banjul is on St Mary's Island, where the Gambia River enters the Atlantic Ocean.
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.
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara was a Gambian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of The Gambia from 1970 to 1994, when he was deposed.
The People's Progressive Party is a political party in the Gambia. It was the dominant ruling party of the House of Representatives and the presidency from 1962 to 1994. The president throughout this time period was Dawda Jawara. The People's Progressive Party lost power after the 1994 Gambian coup d'état, a military coup led by young, junior military officers. The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) then became the dominant party of the Gambia. The People's Progressive Party remains active, but lacking the same level of support it garnered in the 20th century.
Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA) is a pan-African political organization in Liberia, with chapters in Ghana and The Gambia. It was founded in 1973 by Togba Nah Tipoteh, who is currently its president.
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.
Assan Musa Camara was a politician from Gambia. He served as Vice President of Dawda Jawara, almost continuously from 1972 to 1977, and then again from 1981 to 1982, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kantora from 1960 to 1987.
The Muslim Congress Party was a political party in the Gambia. The party was founded during the pre-independence period to represent the Muslim population in the colony of Bathurst. The party was led by I.M. Garba-Jahumpa. The party emerged from the Bathurst Young Muslim Society.
The Democratic Congress Alliance (DCA) was a political alliance in the Gambia. It was formed in the run-up to the 1960 general elections by the Democratic Party and the Muslim Congress Party.
Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof commonly known as Cham Joof or Alhaji Cham Joof, was a Gambian historian, politician, author, trade unionist, broadcaster, radio programme director, scout master, Pan-Africanist, lecturer, columnist, activist and an African nationalist who advocated for the Gambia's independence during the colonial era.
In the 1994 Gambian coup d'état, a group of soldiers led by 29-year-old Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh seized power in a bloodless coup d'état on the morning of 22 July, ousting Dawda Jawara, who had been President of The Gambia since its independence in 1970.
Alieu Badara Njie was a Gambian statesman who served as the 3rd Vice-President of the Gambia from 1977 to 1981. He served as the first Gambian Ambassador to Senegal and in Dawda Jawara's first cabinet. He held several ministerial roles under Jawara and played a key role in securing Gambian independence. He was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1965–1967 and 1974–77, Minister of Communications from 1960–1961 and 1963–1965, Minister of Works from 1962–1965, Minister of Information from 1970–1971, and Minister of Agriculture from 1972–1974.
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.
The 1981 Gambian coup d'état attempt began on 30 July 1981 and was quashed in early August following a Senegalese military intervention. The insurrection was carried out by members of the Gambia Socialist Revolutionary Party and disaffected staff of the Gambia Field Force. At the time, President Dawda Jawara was in the United Kingdom attending the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. The failure of the coup precipitated the creation of the Senegambia Confederation in 1982.
Trade unions in The Gambia are regulated under the Labour Act 2007. The first trade union was the Bathurst Trade Union (BTU), founded in 1929, which led a general strike that year. General strikes were also led by the Gambia Workers' Union (GWU) in 1960, 1961, 1967, and 1970, although not all were successful. There are three trade union centres in The Gambia: the Gambia Trade Union Bureau (GamTUB), the Gambian Workers' Confederation (GWC), and the Gambia National Trade Union Congress (GNTUC). The country joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1995.
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.
Ibrahima Muhammadu/Momodou Garba-Jahumpa (1912–1994) was a Gambian trade union leader and politician who served as the Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Health and Minister for Finance.