2017 Gambian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in The Gambia on 6 April 2017.^[1] They were first parliamentary elections since the inauguration of Adama Barrow as President and resulted in a landslide victory for the United Democratic Party, which won 31 of the 53 seats.

2017 Gambian parliamentary election

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53 of the 58 seats in the National Assembly 29 seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Vote % Seats +/– UDP Ousainou Darboe 37.47 31 New GDC Mama Kandeh 17.38 5 New APRC Fabakary Jatta 15.91 5 −38 PDOIS Sidia Jatta 8.94 4 New NRP Samba Jallow 6.26 5 +4 PPP Yaya Ceesay 2.51 2 New Independents – 9.56 1 −3 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Speaker of the National Assembly before Speaker of the National Assembly Abdoulie Bojang APRC Mariam Jack-Denton UDP

Electoral system

The 53 members of the National Assembly were elected from single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post voting.

Conduct

The European Union (EU) sent a European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to The Gambia in preparation for the parliamentary election on 13 March, at the invitation of the Independent Electoral Commission. The mission was formally launched on 22 March 2017 and it is led by the Chief Observer, Miroslav Poche, who is a Czech Member of the European Parliament (MEP). Initially, the mission consisted of six international election experts based in Banjul, and 14 long-term observers (LTOs) deployed across The Gambia. Closer to election day, the mission will deploy short-term observers and also a delegation of seven MEPs. In total, the EU EOM will comprise some 50 observers from the EU member states, as well as from Canada, Norway and Switzerland.^[2] On 3 April, the EU EOM deployed 14 short-term observers across The Gambia.^[3]

The African Union (AU) commended the smooth conduct of the election, especially considering the instability suffered by the country in the months before the election, with the difficult transfer of power from Yahya Jammeh to Adama Barrow, and various time constraints.^[4]

The EU in their report noted the calm and peaceful manner that the elections were conducted, and noted their optimism for the future, where there was hope for further improvement. Jean Lambert, the head of the European Parliament delegation said "The Gambia has been through a historical moment with many things changing almost overnight. A few shortcomings have been identified in the election conduct. However, given the circumstances, I would like to express my great respect to the IEC as well as to the Gambian citizens for the peaceful atmosphere of the election day."

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	United Democratic Party	142,146	37.47	31	New
	Gambia Democratic Congress	65,938	17.38	5	New
	Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction	60,331	15.91	5	–38
	People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism	33,894	8.94	4	New
	National Reconciliation Party	23,755	6.26	5	+4
	People's Progressive Party	9,503	2.51	2	New
	Gambia Moral Congress	4,458	1.18	0	New
	National Convention Party	1,773	0.47	0	New
	Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress	1,271	0.34	0	New
	Independents	36,251	9.56	1	–3
Appointed seats				5	–
Total		379,320	100.00	58	+5
Registered voters/turnout		886,578	–
Source: IEC

See also

• List of NAMs elected in the 2017 Gambian parliamentary election
• 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis
• ECOWAS military intervention in the Gambia
• 2016 Gambian presidential election

References

1. Republic of The Gambia IFES
2. "Chief Observer Miroslav Poche presented the European Union Election Observation Mission to The Gambia 2017". European External Action Service. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
3. "EU deploys 14 election observers across the country". The Point. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
4. "AU Observer Mission commends Peaceful Conduct of Elections". The Point. Retrieved 2019-01-18.