A referendum on becoming a

republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

was held in the Gambia in April 1970. The changes resulted in the creation of the post of President to replace Elizabeth II as head of state, thus eliminating the post of

Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. It was the second referendum on the issue: the first in 1965 failed because the two-thirds majority required was not reached. This time the referendum produced a "yes" result. The Prime Minister Sir Dawda Jawara was elected the first President by the parliament, replacing Elizabeth II (represented by Governor-General Sir Farimang Mamadi Singateh) as head of state on 24 April 1970.

Result

References

{{Gambian elections 1970 referendums 1970 in the Gambia

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

Republicanism in the Gambia The Gambia and the Commonwealth of Nations Constitutional referendums Monarchy referendums April 1970 events in Africa