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The Gambia - Politics - Background

The Gambia became a British protectorate in 1894. It gained independence from Britain in 1965, with Dawda Jawara as Prime Minister. In 1970, The Gambia became a Republic following a referendum and Jawara was elected as President. Jawara and the People's Progressive Party dominated Gambian politics, until 1994, although the country retained a multi-party system, and opposition parties were represented in the small parliament. A coup attempt in 1981 was only put down at the expense of hundreds of people being killed. In the 1980s and the early 1990s the government became increasingly unpopular, largely due to allegations of corruption.

In July 1994, the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) seized power in a military coup d'etat, deposing the government of Sir Dawda Jawara. 26-year Lieutenant Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, chairman of the AFPRC, became head of state. The Gambia has suffered from a poor human rights record since the change of regime in 1994. Jammeh targeted opponents and several of his own ministers in recent years, while surviving multiple attempts to remove him from power. Both the commonwealth and the EU have been vocal in their condemnation. Jammeh's initial 4-year program for return to civilian rule 1994 after the coup was widely condemned at home and abroad.

Foreigners should refrain from making political commentary. In The Gambia, it is illegal to speak out against the president. It is even illegal to speak negatively to a photo of the president. Jammeh had long been accused of overseeing a government that imprisons, tortures and sometimes kill its opponents, according to human rights groups.

H.E. Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh was born on the 25th May, 1965 in Kanilai Village which is in the Foni Kansala District, Western Region. His mother's name is Aja Fatou Ashombi Bojang and he is married to the Gambia's First Lady Madam Zineb Yahya Jammeh. She was born in Rabat, Morocco, on the 5th October 1977 to the Guinean Soumah family. He received his early education at Kanilai Primary School, Saint Edwards Primary School in Bwiam, and Gambia High School in Banjul.

In 1983 he passed the General Certificate of Education (GCE 0' Level) with Credits in Geography, English, French, Biology and Physics. Also obtained passes in Chemistry and Oral English. The following year President Jammeh joined what was then the Gambia National Gendarmerie in 1984 and later moved to The Gambia National Army and was commissioned in 1989. He attended the Military Police Officers Basic Course (MPOBC) at For McClellan, Alabama, in the United States of America and in 1994 obtained a Diploma in Military science.

President Jammeh served under various military units in The Gambia National Army. From 1984-1986 he was in the Special Intervention Unit, 1986-1989 the Gendarmerie Training School (Escort Training Instructor); 1989-1990 Presidential Guards (in charge of Presidential Escort); 1991 served as Officer commanding in the Mobile Gendarmerie and in 1992 was Officer Command The Gambia National Army Military Police, up till 22nd July 1994 when the Gambia National Army toppled Sir Dawda Jawara and his PPP administration in a bloodless coup. At the time the Jawara regime was toppled, Jammeh was a Lieutenant. In 1994, Jammeh was promoted to the rank of Captain and in 1996 he was promoted to the rank of Colonel. President Jammeh retired from the army in 1996.

1996 Election

The AFPRC announced a transition plan for return to democratic civilian government. The Provisional Independent Electoral Commission (PIEC) was established in 1996 to conduct national elections. The transition process included the compilation of a new electoral register, adoption of a new constitution by referendum in August 1996, and presidential and legislative elections in September 1996 and January 1997, respectively.

After a two-year transition period, Jammeh, who is a Jola, the smallest ethnic group in the country, and his colleagues retired from the army and set up the APRC to contest the 1996 presidential election which he won amid widespread allegations of irregularities and fraud. Having denied his desire to stand until late in the day, Jammeh won the presidential elections of September 1996 with 56% of the vote, and his newly formed party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), won 33 of the 45 parliamentary seats in January 1997.

Foreign observers did not deem these elections free and fair. Retired Col. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh was sworn into office as President of the Republic of The Gambia in November 1996. The PIEC was transformed to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in 1997 and became responsible for registration of voters and conduct of elections and referenda. Despite the elected government, political stability remained fragile. Few senior ministers retained their posts for long, rumours of coups regularly circulated in the country and the independent media and opposition were regularly harassed for allegedly stirring anti-government feeling.

In late 1999, Behind the Mask also reported that President Yahyah Jammeh of Gambia had "join[ed] the league of African heads of states persistent on declaring homosexuals worse than animals" (Nov. 1999), when he stated in an interview with the BBC that "'I have seen that animals in general behave better than human beings .... [A]mong my animals [the president reportedly keeps a herd of disparate animals], there are no lesbians, no gays or whatever'" (BBC Focus on Africa Oct.- Nov. 1999, 45)

2001 Election

In late 2001 and early 2002, The Gambia completed a full cycle of presidential, legislative, and local elections, which foreign observers deemed free, fair, and transparent, albeit with some shortcomings. President Yahya Jammeh, who was re-elected, took the oath of office again on December 21, 2001. The APRC maintained its strong majority in the National Assembly, particularly after the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) boycotted the legislative elections. In National Assembly elections in January 2002, Jammeh's APRC party won a huge majority – 40 of the 43 elected seats (the remaining 5 seats being nominated by the President), largely owing to a boycott by the opposition due to allegations of malpractice over the electoral register. Jammeh made effective use of government media and funds to ensure victory in the October 2001 presidential elections, with 53% of the vote in the second round against 33% for the main opposition party the United Democratic Party (UDP) led by Ousainou Darboe.

According to Behind the Mask, "a website on gay and lesbian affairs in Africa," sex between men is hidden or secretive because Gambian society is hostile to men who engage in same-sex behaviour, stigmatizes homosexuality, treats it as sinful and criminalizes it (10 Dec. 2002). In March 2003, a religious leader argued that "a more reaIistic" approach to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) would be to engage in a "fight against adultery, homosexuality and lesbianism" (Behind the Mask 17 Mar. 2003). In November 2002, The Independent reported that homosexuals, as well as prostitutes and illegal aliens, were facing a difficult time in Gambia because the Immigration Department had launched "consistent nationwide raids" against them, allegedly to crack down on "the swelling number of foreigners entering the country without proper documents" (25 Nov. 2002).

2006-7 Election

In March 2006 the regime was shaken by an alledged coup attempt, following which 27 people were arrested and the former chief of staff of the army disappeared, having been accused by Jammeh of being behind the coup. Both the Jammeh government and the country itself emerged unscathed and stable from the episode. The Gambian public rallied around Jammeh following the failed coup attempt and, with the groundswell of popular support for Jammeh, the failed plot ensured his re-election in the fall.

Preparations for elections were controversial and the independence of the Independent Electoral Commission was seriously compromised by the dismissal of 3 Chairmen by the President. The opposition coalition (the National Alliance for Democracy and Development), which had undertaken to field a single candidate against Jammeh, split in February 2006. This damaged the capacity of the opposition to mount an effective challenge to Jammeh in the one-round election, which was held on 22 September 2006. Prominent attorney Ousainou Darboe was the nominee of the alliance between the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the National Reconciliation Party (NRP). National Assembly Member Halifa Sallah ran as the candidate of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD).

It was unclear how a Darboe administration would differ from the present administration, except perhaps the likely cessation of blatant human rights abuses. Darboe had not, in this contest, or any previous contests, presented a clear outline of his vision for progress and development in the country. He sometimes gave the impression that he wants the presidency not for what he can do for The Gambia but for what being president of The Gambia can do for him. Sallah's intellectualism was apparent in everything that he said or wrote - his downfall. He talks over the heads of ordinary Gambians, often using complex evaluations and explanations to make even the most mundane point. Even other intellectuals sometimes find it difficult to follow his arguments.

Jammeh's supporters pointed to improvements in education, healthcare, roads, and a relatively good airport as evidence of the progress that President Jammeh has fostered in The Gambia compared to the Jawara regime. His detractors pointed to human rights abuses and the wealth that President Jammeh has amassed while the Gambian people continue to experience persistent problems with electricity and water supply.

President Jammeh was re-elected for a third 5-year term on September 22, 2006 with 67% of the vote. The UDP received 27% of the vote, and instead of boycotting future elections, vowed to take part in the 2007 National Assembly elections. In the January 2007 parliamentary elections the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) won 42 of the available 48 elected seats. In the event, 3 candidates were accepted: President Jammeh, Ousainou Darboe of the UDP and Halifah Salah of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD). President Jammeh won the elections with 6% of the vote to Darboe’s 27%. The vote was considered by observers to have been free and fair on the day, although the Commonwealth Secretariat noted 'abuses of incumbency' in the lead up to the polls.

Legislative elections were held on 25 January 2007. The two largest opposition political parties, the UDP and the National Reconciliation Party, continued to run as a separate alliance. The ruling APRC won 42 of the 48 elected seats, and President Jammeh appointed five nominated members, including the speaker. The ruling APRC confirmed its overwhelming dominance of the political scene, winning 37 of the 43 elected seats, but the voter turn out was low at 41%.

International observers declared the presidential and National Assembly elections partially free and fair with shortcomings, noting under-age voting, voting by non-nationals, and biased media coverage in favor of President Jammeh. There were reports of security officers demonstrating partisan support while on duty in the days before the January 25 elections. However, observers agreed that both election results represented the will of the people. Opposition parties criticized these irregularities and stated that the APRC did not adhere to the code of conduct in the political memorandum of understanding brokered by The British Commonwealth in 2005. The government arrested members of the opposition and an opposition candidate during the year 2007.

2011 Election

On 25 November 2011, voters reelected President Alhaji Yahya Jammeh to a fourth term in a peaceful, orderly election that was neither free nor fair. President Jammeh’s party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), continued to dominate the political landscape. There were instances in which elements of the security forces acted independently of civilian control. The most serious human rights problem in the country was the government’s harassment and abuse of its critics, which resulted in a muzzled press and the death, torture, arrest and detention, and sometimes enforced disappearance, of citizens.

Voters reelected President Jammeh to a fourth term with 72 percent of the vote. The election was peaceful and orderly, and more than 83 percent of voters participated. UDP leader Ousainu Darboe came in second with 17 percent, and independent candidate Hamat Bah received 11 percent. Prior to the election, ECOWAS said its investigations found “an opposition and electorate cowed by repression and intimidation.” Explaining its decision not to send election observers, ECOWAS added that the preparations and political environment were not conducive to the conduct of free, fair, and transparent polls. Mustapha Carayol, the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, characterized the ECOWAS criticism as lies. Other government sources claimed the ECOWAS boycott was the result of a personal dispute rather than based on fact.

The opposition criticized government control of the state-owned media, a shortened official campaign period, use of state resources by the ruling party, and the overt participation in political activity by government officials and members of the security forces. However, the UDP and its alliance partners did not challenge election results in court, claiming that they were not given sufficient time to do so.

President Jammeh’s party, the APRC, held 42 of 48 seats in the National Assembly and continued to dominate the political landscape. APRC membership conferred advantages, such as expediting government transactions, facilitating access to certain documents, and securing employment contracts.

Gambia launched occasional crackdowns on the country's gays. In a January 2011 speech to army officers, President Jammeh announced he wanted a professional army “free of gays and saboteurs.” In a 2009 speech before the National Assembly, President Jammeh called homosexual conduct “strange behavior that even God will not tolerate.” Despite such statements, there were no reported incidents of physical violence against LGBT individuals during the year. There were no LGBT organizations in the country. A 2012 raid at a poolside birthday party in the capital, Banjul, led to the arrests of 18 men, some of whom said they were interrogated and beaten before undergoing a very public trial that destroyed their reputations.

The Irish Times conveyed the point : "Jammeh’s reign was the stuff of horror,” the Dublin-based newspaper wrote. “Paranoid, he hunted down hundreds of Gambians on charges of sorcery in 2009, bussing them to secret locations and poisoning them with a hallucinogenic concoction.”