United Democratic Party (The Gambia)
Encyclopedia
The United Democratic Party is a conservative
political party
in The Gambia
, affiliated to the International Democratic Union, founded in 1996 by the human rights
lawyer
Ousainou Darboe
. 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.
In 2005 UDP joined the opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development
which only lasted for a short term due to differences in opinion among the various leaders of the opposition. The UDP is the most popular opposition party in the Gambia, polling nearly 35% and 27 % of the votes in the 2001 and 2006 Gambian presidential elections respectively (BBC News). However, due to suspicion of unfair voting practices the leader of UDP has declared openly that he is not willing to accept the results of the 2006 presidential election.
The motto of the United Democratic Party (The Gambia) is Justice, Peace and Progress and the party flag is bright yellow in color with a unity handshake depicted in the center (UDP Manifesto). The party practices two methods of memberships: a) individual and b) affiliate consisting of farmers' groups, trade unions, culture groups and youth groups etc.
The executive members of UDP include - Yaya Jallow, Ebraima Manneh, Amadou Taal, Lawyer Mariam Denton and Momodou N Shyngle Nyassi etc among others.
There has widespread reports in the Gambia of torture and arrests of UDP stalwarts who claim to fight against an authoritarian government led by President Yahya Jammeh
of the ruling APRC
party (IRIN News).
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in The Gambia
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....
, affiliated to the International Democratic Union, founded in 1996 by the human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Ousainou Darboe
Ousainou Darboe
Ousainou Darboe is a Gambian human rights lawyer and politician. He is leader of the country's main opposition party, the United Democratic Party ....
. As a candidate in the presidential election
Gambian presidential election, 2001
Presidential elections were held in the Gambia on 18 October 2001. The result was a victory for the incumbent Yahya Jammeh, who took just over 50% of the votes....
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
Gambian presidential election, 2006
The Gambian presidential election, 2006 was held on 22 September 2006. 670,000 Gambians registered to vote, and 59% of registered voters turned out to vote. Many of the 989 polling booths used marbles which were inserted into candidate drums instead of ballot papers due to the high illiteracy rate...
with 26.7% of the vote. The 17 January 2002 parliamentary election
Gambian parliamentary election, 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in the Gambia on 17 January 2002. They were boycotted by several opposition parties, including the United Democratic Party...
was boycotted by the party. In the 25 January 2007 parliamentary election, the party won four out of 48 seats.
In 2005 UDP joined the opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development
National Alliance for Democracy and Development
The National Alliance for Democracy and Development is a five-party coalition of Gambian opposition political parties.It was officially launched January 2005 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Democratic Action Movement , National Reconciliation Party ,...
which only lasted for a short term due to differences in opinion among the various leaders of the opposition. The UDP is the most popular opposition party in the Gambia, polling nearly 35% and 27 % of the votes in the 2001 and 2006 Gambian presidential elections respectively (BBC News). However, due to suspicion of unfair voting practices the leader of UDP has declared openly that he is not willing to accept the results of the 2006 presidential election.
The motto of the United Democratic Party (The Gambia) is Justice, Peace and Progress and the party flag is bright yellow in color with a unity handshake depicted in the center (UDP Manifesto). The party practices two methods of memberships: a) individual and b) affiliate consisting of farmers' groups, trade unions, culture groups and youth groups etc.
The executive members of UDP include - Yaya Jallow, Ebraima Manneh, Amadou Taal, Lawyer Mariam Denton and Momodou N Shyngle Nyassi etc among others.
There has widespread reports in the Gambia of torture and arrests of UDP stalwarts who claim to fight against an authoritarian government led by President Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Jammeh
Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is the President of The Gambia...
of the ruling APRC
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....
party (IRIN News).
External links
- Gambian opposition claims fraud, BBC News, Sept. 25, 2006
- Official Homepage http://www.udpgambia.com/ http://www.udpgambia.com/