The Gambia Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Republic of The Gambia

Type republic; independent since February 1965; The Gambia and Senegal in early 1982 formed a loose confederation of Senegambia, which calls for the integration of their armed forces and, eventually, their monetary union

Capital: Banjul

Political subdivisions: Banjul and five divisions

Legal system: based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; constitution came into force upon independence in 1965, new republican constitution adopted in April 1970; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 February

Branches: Cabinet of 13 members; unicameral legislative branch (43-member parliament), in which four seats are reserved for tribal chiefs, four are government appointed, 35 are filled by election for five-year terms, a Speaker is elected by the House, and the Attorney General is an appointed member; independent judiciary

Government leader: Sir Dawda Kairaba JAWARA, President (since February 1970)

Political parties and leade rs: People’s Progressive Party (PPP), secretary general, Dawda K Jawara; National Convention Party (NCP), Sheriff Dibba

Suffrage: universal adult over 21

Elections: general election held May 1982

Voting strength: PPP 27 seats, NCP 4 seats, others 4 seats

Communists: no Communist party

Member of: AtBD APC, ('.ommonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB— -Inter- American Development Rank. IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, IRC, ITU, NAM, OAU, O1C, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO. WTO

NOTE: The information regarding The Gambia on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of The Gambia 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about The Gambia 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.