The Gambia elects on national level a
head of state – the
president – and a
legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. The
National Assembly has 53 members, 48 members elected for a five-year term and 5 members appointed (the fifth nominated member is the Speaker).
The Gambia was a
one party dominant state with the
Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction formerly in power until their defeat in 2017.
Opposition parties are allowed as part of a multi-party political system
Following the December 1, 2016 elections, the elections committee declared
Adama Barrow
Adama Barrow ( ff, 𞤀𞥄𞤣𞤢𞤥𞤢 𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤪𞤮, Aadama Baaro, born 15 February 1965) is a Gambian politician and real estate developer who has served as President of the Gambia since 2017.
Born in Mankamang Kunda, a village ...
winner of the elections. Incumbent president
Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...
accepted defeat on December 2.
Implementation
For presidential elections, electors drop
marbles in
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
.
There is one drum for each candidate.
The drums are identified with the picture of the candidates and the colors of their parties.
After identifying themselves, the electors' left forefinger is dipped in
indelible ink
''Indelible'' is the fourth book in the Grant County series by author Karin Slaughter. It was originally released in hardback in 2004. Previous books in the series are '' Blindsighted'', ''Kisscut'', and ''A Faint Cold Fear''. These books star Sar ...
to avoid repeated voting.
Then they receive one marble and, in the secrecy of the polling booth, drop their marble in the chosen drum.
A bell confirms the voting.
After the voting, the marbles are quickly counted.
The marble system dates to 1966.
Latest elections
2016 presidential election
2017 legislative elections
2021 presidential election
See also
*
Electoral calendar
*
Electoral system
References
External links
Adam Carr's Election Archive
{{Africa-election-stub