The Gambia’s Electoral Earthquake

The First Republic of The Gambia ended with the overthrow of Sir Dawda Jawara by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh in 1994. For 22 years, Jammeh ruled the Second Republic with an iron fist, a period replete with gross violations of constitutional and human rights. In 2016, repressive rule reached its pinnacle with the death of an opposition-party militant in the hands of the regime, and the imprisonment of the leader and the executive of the largest opposition party. The ensuing political crisis was exacerbated by Jammeh’s rejection of the December 2016 election results, which he lost. This paper discusses the tumultuous events that followed and culminated in the emergence of the Third Republic.