The Gambia Moves Close to Single-Party Rule in Legislative Elections
February 6, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6276283.stm
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Parliamentary elections were held on January 25, 2007 in the Gambia, resulting in a decisive win for the ruling party.  The Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), the party of President Yahya Jammeh, won 37 of 43 contested seats.  This win extends the APRC’s “near-monopoly” on political power; in the previous legislative election, the APRC won 45 of the 48 open seats.  Most analysts describe the domination of President Jammeh and his ruling party in Gambia as a dictatorship.

Voter turnout for the election was only 34% and some speculate that when opposition support is accounted for, the new government will only have the popular mandate of around a quarter of the population.  Critics of Jammeh and the APRC claim that this low number reflects Gambians’ dissatisfaction and apathy with the President, who has been in power for 12 years.  President Jammeh has also recently been in the news after his declaration that he could personally cure HIV/AIDS in three days.

President Jammeh was re-elected last September in an election marred with some “ ‘shortcomings’ in the process, including biased coverage by state-run media.”  However, opposition leaders and activists report being intimidated, jailed, and harassed by the government.  Additionally, there have been reports of opposition candidates being jailed before, during, and following the January 25th election.

Although the opposition candidates are likely to align in parliament it is doubtful they will be able to be a counterforce against the dominate APRC. 

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6323449.stm?ls
http://allafrica.com/stories/200701291374.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702050548.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200702020804.html
http://allafrica.com/stories/200701291678.html