REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

• Official name: Republic of the Gambia
• Location: West Africa
• International organisations: African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, Non-Aligned Movement, Organisation of Islamic Conference, United Nations, World Trade Organisation
• Borders: Senegal
• Coastline: North Atlantic Ocean
• Land area: 11,300 Km2
• Population: 1,700,000
• Annual GDP (PPP) per capita: US$1,400 (2009 CIA estimate). World ranking: 168
• Ethnicity: The main ethnic groups in the Gambia are the Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10% and Serahuli 9%. There is a small European minority.
• Languages: English is the official language. Mandinka, Wolof and Fula are the main African languages spoken.
• Religion: More than 90% of the population are Sunni Moslems. Most of the remainder are Christians of various denominations.
• Form of government: Presidential democratic republic. The Gambia consists of five divisions and the capital city.
• Capital: Banjul
• Constitution: The Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia came into effect on 24 April 1970. It was suspended in July 1994 and re-instated with some amendments in January 1997.
• Head of state: The President, elected by direct universal suffrage for a five-year term.
• Head of government: The President, who appoints the ministers.
• Legislature: The Gambia has a unicameral legislature, the National Assembly, which has 53 member; 48 elected from single-member constituencies for five-year terms, and five appointed by the President.
• Electoral authority: The Independent Electoral Commission administers national elections.
• Freedom House 2009 rating: Political Rights 5, Civil Liberties 4

Political history

The Portuguese explored the area of the Gambia River in the 16th century. In 1588 Portugal sold trade rights in the area to English merchants. The Gambia became part of the British colony of Sierra Leone in 1821, although British control of the interior was not established until 1894, when a protectorate within the present boundaries was proclaimed. The Gambia was granted limited self-government in 1961, and full internal self-government in 1963. The Gambia became independent in February 1965, and became a republic in 1970.

From before independence until 1994, The Gambia was dominated by Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, first as Prime Minister and later as President, and was one of Africa's few functioning democracies. But increasing economic difficulties led to unrest, and in 1981 an attempted coup was suppressed only with the help of Senegalese troops. In July 1994, the army seized power and the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) declared Lt Yahya Jammeh President.

Under international pressure, Jammeh announced a transition plan for return to democratic government in 1996. Presidential and legislative elections have been held regularly since 1996, but foreign observers have described these elections as not free and fair. Jammeh was last re-elected in 2006 with 67% of the vote. His party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction, dominates the legislature. The main opposition party is the United Democratic Party. In a pattern common in Africa, Jammah has grown more despotic, eccentric and corrupt the longer he has been in power.

Freedom House's 2009 report on Gambia says: "The Gambia is not an electoral democracy. While the 2006 presidential poll was deemed free and fair by regional observers, serious government repression of the media and the opposition in the run-up to the vote made it impossible for the candidates to compete on a level playing field. Commonwealth observers found similar flaws in the 2008 legislative elections... Official corruption remains a serious problem in The Gambia, and few high-level corruption-related prosecutions have taken place. [The Gambia] was ranked 158 out of 180 surveyed in Transparency International's 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index... The government does not respect freedom of the press, and independent journalists are subject to arrests, threats, harassment, and violence... Freedoms of assembly and association are provided by law and generally observed in practice... The constitution provides for an independent judiciary. Lower courts are hampered by corruption and executive influence, but the judiciary tends to operate fairly and vigorously."

Updated February 2010