2007 Gambian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in the Gambia on 25 January 2007. Forty-eight members of the National Assembly were elected, with another five being appointed by the President.[1] The result was a victory for the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), which won 42 of the 48 seats.

2007 Gambian parliamentary election

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48 of the 53 seats of the National Assembly
27 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party
 
Leader Yahya Jammeh Ousainou Darboe
Party APRC UDP
Seats before 45 New
Seats won 42 4
Seat change Decrease3 New
Popular vote 157,392 57,545
Percentage 59.74% 21.84%

President before election

Yahya Jammeh
APRC

Elected President

Yahya Jammeh
APRC

After the elections, President Yahya Jammeh said that "constituencies that voted the opposition should not expect my government's development projects. I want to teach people that opposition in Africa does not pay." He expressed satisfaction with the results and said that "voters have thrown out the two empty barrels from the National Assembly"; this was believed to be a reference to the defeat of two prominent opposition politicians, Halifa Sallah and Hamat Bah. Salleh blamed the opposition's poor performance on a split in its ranks and said that he intended to retire from politics.[2]

Campaign

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A total of 103 candidates were approved by the Independent Electoral Commission. The ruling APRC was the only party to contest all 48 seats,[3] and ran unopposed in five constituencies.[4]

Results

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PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction157,39259.7442–3
United Democratic Party57,54521.844New
National Reconciliation Party15,7835.990–1
National Alliance for Democracy and Development13,9905.311–1
Independents18,7517.121+1
Appointed members50
Total263,461100.0053+4
Registered voters/turnout628,160
Source: Psephos

References

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  1. ^ "Gambia's ruling party wins majority", Al Jazeera, January 26, 2007.
  2. ^ "Gambian President laughs at opponents", afrol News, January 29, 2007.
  3. ^ Q&A: Gambian legislative elections, BBC News, January 25, 2007.
  4. ^ Republic of the Gambia Psephos