The Gambia: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia etymology: named for the Gambia River that flows through the heart of the country |
|---|---|
| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | Banjul
Banjul
geographic coordinates: 13 27 N, 16 34 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 5 regions, 1 city*, and 1 municipality**; Banjul*, Central River, Kanifing**, Lower River, North Bank, Upper River, West Coast |
| Independence | 18 February 1965 (from the UK) |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 18 February (1965) |
| Constitution | previous 1970; latest adopted 8 April 1996, approved by referendum 8 August 1996, effective 16 January 1997; amended several times, last in 2010 (2016) |
| Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Elect Adama BARROW (since 1 December 2016); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Elect Adama BARROW (since 1 December 2016); Vice President Isatou NJIE-SAIDY (since 20 March 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 24 November 2011 (next to be held on 1 December 2016) election results: Adama BARROW elected president; percent of vote - Adama BARROW (opposition coalition) 45.5%, Yahya JAMMEH (APRC)36.7%, Mamma KANDEH (G |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly (53 seats; 48 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 5 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms) elections: last held on 29 March 2012 (next to be held in 2017) election results: percent of vote by party - APRC 51.8%, NRP 9.4%, independent 38.8%; seats by party - APRC 42, NRP 2, independent 4 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court of The Gambia (consists of the chief justice and 6 other justices; court sessions held with 5 justices) judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission, a 6-member independent body of high-level judicial officials, a presidential appointee, and a National Assembly appointee; justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement age subordinate courts: Court of Appeal; High Court; Special Criminal Court; Khadis or Muslim courts; district tribunals; magistrates courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction or APRC (Yahya JAMMEH) Gambia Democratic Congress or GDC (Mamma KANDEH) Gambia Moral Congress or GMC (Mai FATTY) Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress or GPDP (Henry GOMEZ) National Reconciliation Party or NRP (Hamat BAH) National Convention Party or NCP (Ebrima Janko SANYANG) People's Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS (Halifa SALLAH) People's Progressive Party or PPP (Omar JALLOW) United Democratic Party or UDP (Ousainou DARBOE) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations or TANGO Female Lawyers Association of Gambia or FLAG Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices or GAMCOTRAP Gambia Press Union or GPU West African Peace Building Network-Gambian Chapter or WANEB-GAMBIA Youth Employment Network Gambia or YENGambiaother: special needs group advocates; teachers and principals |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Omar FAYE (since 3 August 2015) chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Georgetown Plaza, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (1) (202) 785-1379, 1399, 1425 (1) (202) 785-1379, 1399, 1425 FAX: (1) (202) 342-0240 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador C. Patricia ALSUP (since 11 January 2016) embassy: Kairaba Avenue, Fajara, Banjul mailing address: P.M.B. 19, Banjul telephone: (220) 439-2856 FAX: (220) 439-2475 |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green; red stands for the sun and the savannah, blue represents the Gambia River, and green symbolizes forests and agriculture; the white stripes denote unity and peace |
| National symbol(s) | lion; national colors: red, blue, green, white |
| National anthem | name: "For The Gambia, Our Homeland" lyrics/music: Virginia Julie HOWE/adapted by Jeremy Frederick HOWE note: adopted 1965; the music is an adaptation of the traditional Mandinka song "Foday Kaba Dumbuya" |