National Assembly of the Gambia
Encyclopedia
The National Assembly is the legislative branch of government in The Gambia
.
. Members are elected in single-member constituencies using the simple majority, or First-past-the-post
system.
in The Gambia began in May 1962, when elections were held for a 32-seat House of Representatives. These elections were won by the People's Progressive Party
(PPP), which was led by Dawda Jawara
. After independence in 1965, the PPP continued to dominate the House of Representatives by winning a series of free, democratic elections in 1966, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, and 1992. While opposition parties were continuously present in the House, they were never able to successfully wrest power from the PPP. Jawara's government was overthrown in a July 1994 military coup led by Yahya Jammeh
. The constitution and all elected institutions, including the House of Representatives, were dissolved. After the coup, political party activities were banned. The ban was lifted in August 1996 following the approval of a new constitution, but three Jawara-era parties - the PPP, Gambian People's Party
(GPP), and the National Convention Party (NCP) remained proscribed.
Legislative elections to the renamed National Assembly took place on 2 January 1997. Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
(APRC) won 33 out of 45 seats, the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) won 7, two went to both the National Reconciliation Party
(NRP) and Independents
, while the People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) captured the remaining seat.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) lifted the ban on the PPP, GPP, and NCP in August 2001, five months before the next scheduled legislative election.
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker may only be chosen from among the presidential appointees to the National Assembly, not the elected members.
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....
.
Composition and electoral system
The National Assembly is unicameral and consists of 53 members who serve a five-year term. 48 members are directly elected while the remaining five are appointed by the PresidentHeads of state of the Gambia
-Heads of State of The Gambia :-Affiliations:*PPP - People's Progressive Party*APRC - Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction*Mil - Military of the Gambia...
. Members are elected in single-member constituencies using the simple majority, or First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post
First-past-the-post voting refers to an election won by the candidate with the most votes. The winning potato candidate does not necessarily receive an absolute majority of all votes cast.-Overview:...
system.
History
Legislative representation based on universal adult suffrageUniversal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
in The Gambia began in May 1962, when elections were held for a 32-seat House of Representatives. These elections were won by the People's Progressive Party
People's Progressive Party (The Gambia)
The People's Progressive Party is a moderate centre-left political party in The Gambia. It was the dominant ruling party from 1965 with president Dawda Jawara. He was elected for a sixth term of office in 1992, but was overthrown in a coup by young army officers in 1994...
(PPP), which was led by Dawda Jawara
Dawda Jawara
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, GCMG was the first leader of The Gambia, serving first as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970 and then as President from 1970 to 1994....
. After independence in 1965, the PPP continued to dominate the House of Representatives by winning a series of free, democratic elections in 1966, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, and 1992. While opposition parties were continuously present in the House, they were never able to successfully wrest power from the PPP. Jawara's government was overthrown in a July 1994 military coup led by Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Jammeh
Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is the President of The Gambia...
. The constitution and all elected institutions, including the House of Representatives, were dissolved. After the coup, political party activities were banned. The ban was lifted in August 1996 following the approval of a new constitution, but three Jawara-era parties - the PPP, Gambian People's Party
Gambian People's Party
The Gambian People's Party was a political party in The Gambia. It was founded by Assan Musa Camara in 1986. GPP was a splinter-group of the governing People's Progressive Party. The party got 15.5% of the votes in the 1987 parliamentary elections and 7.96% in the 1992 elections, but it never won a...
(GPP), and the National Convention Party (NCP) remained proscribed.
Legislative elections to the renamed National Assembly took place on 2 January 1997. Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction
The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction is a political party in The Gambia, founded by army officers who staged a coup in 1994. It was formed in 1996 to support army leader Yahya Jammeh's campaign for the 1996 elections....
(APRC) won 33 out of 45 seats, the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) won 7, two went to both the National Reconciliation Party
National Reconciliation Party
The National Reconciliation Party is a political party in The Gambia.Its candidate at the presidential elections of 18 October 2001, Hamat Bah, came third with 7.8% of the popular vote. At the last legislative elections, 17 January 2002, the party won no seats....
(NRP) and Independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, while the People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) captured the remaining seat.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) lifted the ban on the PPP, GPP, and NCP in August 2001, five months before the next scheduled legislative election.
Leadership
- SpeakerSpeaker (politics)The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
- Abdoulie Bojang - Deputy Speaker - ...
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker may only be chosen from among the presidential appointees to the National Assembly, not the elected members.
See also
- History of the GambiaHistory of the GambiaThe modern-day Gambia was once part of the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires.-Early history:The first written accounts of the region come from records of Arab traders in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. In medieval times the area was dominated by the trans-Saharan trade...
- List of national legislatures
- List of Speakers of the National Assembly of the Gambia
- Legislative branch