Gambia (The)

National Assembly

Political system
Presidential system
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections.

Background

Election date(s)
09 Apr 2022
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
13 Apr 2022
Timing of election
Upon normal expiry
Expected date of next elections
30 Apr 2027
Number of seats at stake
53
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Number of parties contesting the election
18
Total number of candidates
246
Number of male candidates
227
Number of female candidates
19
Percentage of women candidates
7.7%

Voter turnout

Registered voters
962,157

Results

About the election

President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party (NPP) came first but failed to secure a majority in the new legislature. It won 18 of 53 directly elected seats in the 58-member National Assembly, which also includes five presidential appointees. The main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP, see note 1), led by Mr. Ousainu Darboe, came second with 15 seats while three other parties took fewer than four seats each. A record 12 independent candidates were elected.

The 2022 elections were the first to be held after the December 2021 presidential elections, in which Mr. Barrow was re-elected for a new five-year term (see note 2). He had officially launched the NPP in January 2021, describing it as the party for all Gambians, based on the notion of true democratic and patriotic citizenship.

Note 1:

The UDP was the largest force in the outgoing legislature, in place since the 2017 parliamentary elections. Mr. Barrow, the then UDP treasurer, was a joint candidate for the UDP-led opposition coalition in the 2016 presidential election but left the UDP before the election. UDP leader Darboe ran unsuccessfully in the 2021 presidential election.

Note 2:

In September 2020, the outgoing legislature rejected the constitutional amendments which would have introduced a two-term limit for the presidency. They would have applied retrospectively, meaning the incumbent would have been able to seek only one more term.

Number of parties winning seats
5
Percentage of parties winning seats
27.8%
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
34.0%
Alternation of power after elections
No
Number of parties in government
1
Names of parties in government
National People’s Party (NPP)

Note: The new Cabinet appointed in May 2022 is composed largely of Ministers from the NPP. It also includes Ministers who do not belong to any party since they are appointed based on their competence rather than the political party to which they belong.

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political group Total
National People's Party (NPP) 18
United Democratic Party (UDP) 15
National Reconciliation Party (NRP) 4
Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC) 2
People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) 2
Independents 12
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
50
Number of women elected
3
Percentage of women elected
5.7%
Women Directly Elected
3
Women Appointed
2
Other notes on the elections

Note on the date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature:

The outgoing National Assembly is dissolved one day before the convening of the new legislature in accordance with Article 99 of the Constitution.

Sources

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
53
Total number of women after the election
5
Percentage of women after the election
8.6%
First-term parliamentarians
36
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
62.1%
Date of the first session
14 Apr 2022

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Fabakary Tombong Jatta (Male)
Date of birth: 16 Nov 1952
Date of election
14 Apr 2022

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No