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Gambia, The

Country in west Africa, bounded north, east, and south by Senegal and west by the Atlantic Ocean.

Government

The Gambia is an independent republic within the Commonwealth. Its constitution dates from 1970 and provides for a single-chamber legislature, the house of representatives, consisting of 50 members, 36 directly elected by universal suffrage, five elected by the chiefs, eight non-voting nominated members, and the attorney general, ex officio. It serves a five-year term, as does the president, who is elected by direct universal suffrage and appoints a vice-president (who also leads the house of representatives) and a cabinet. Following an army coup, a military council was established to oversee the government from 1994 until 1996. A civilian constitution was readopted in 1996.

History

The Gambia was formerly part of the Mali Empire, a Muslim gold-trading empire that flourished in west Africa between the 7th and 15th centuries, and declined at the time of the Portuguese arrival in 1455. In the late 16th century commerce was taken over from Portugal by England, and trading posts established on the Gambia River were controlled from Sierra Leone. In 1843 The Gambia was made a crown colony, becoming an independent British colony in 1888.

Jawara's presidency

Political parties were formed in the 1950s, internal self-government was achieved in 1963, and full independence within the Commonwealth in 1965, with Dawda Jawara as prime minister. The country declared itself a republic in 1970, with Jawara as president, replacing the British monarch as head of state. Jawara was re-elected in 1972 and 1977.

With the Progressive People's Party (PPP) the dominant political force, there was pressure to make The Gambia a one-party state, but Jawara resisted this. When an attempted coup against him in 1981 was thwarted with Senegalese military aid, ties between the two countries were strengthened and the confederation of Senegambia created. However, in economic terms, The Gambia had more to gain and after Senegalese demands The Gambia formally agreed to end the confederation. Jawara was re-elected in 1982 and 1987. In 1990 The Gambia contributed troops to the multinational force attempting to stabilize Liberia.

Military coup

In July 1994, following a coup staged by junior army officers, a military council was established to oversee the activities of the civilian government. Jawara fled the country and Lt Yahya Jammeh was named as his replacement. Two attempted counter-coups in November 1994 and January 1995 failed.

The 1970 civilian constitution was readopted, and political parties permitted to operate, in 1996.

In October 2001, President Jammeh was re-elected with 53% of the vote, defeating Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party (UDP) who gained 33%. Jammeh's authoritarian Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party (APRC) won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in January 2002. The APRC victory was helped by an election boycott from the UDP, the main opposition party.

Banjul Bathurst (Gambia)

Bowdich, Thomas Edward Bwiam

Economic Community of West African States Gambia (river)

Jammeh, Yahya Alphonse Jamus Jebulai Kuntaur