The Democratic Congress Alliance was a political alliance in
the Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
and the
Muslim Congress Party The Muslim Congress Party was a political party in the Gambia. The party was founded during the pre-independence period to represent the Muslim population in the colony of Bathurst (now Banjul). The party was led by I. Garba-Jahumpa.Democracy in the Gambia: Past, present and prospects for the Future Africa Development, vol XXV, No 3-4, pp162-198
The Democratic Party (representing Christian communities) and the Muslim Congress (representing Muslim communities) had been contesting for influence in urban communities. But eventually the two rivals united, in order to counter the growing influence of the United Party. The Democratic and Muslim Congress parties began holding joint meetings in September 1959, and on April 7, 1960 they announced the formation of a 'non-sectarian alliance'. DCA fielded candidates in all 5 Bathurst constituencies in the 1960 election. It won three seats in the 1960 election. The main leaders of the party were I.M. Garba-Jahumpa (secretary general) and J.C. Faye. ''African Unity'' was the party newspaper.
In the 1962 elections the party won only one seat, but was still invited to join
Dawda Jawara
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (16 May 1924 – 27 August 2019) was a Gambian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of the Gambia from 1970 to 1994.
Jawara was born in Barajally, MacCarthy Island ...
's government.
For the 1966 elections it formed an alliance with the United Party, which won eight seats, but afterwards disappeared.